Jinchuuriki Unleashed
by Burning Shadow Wolf
Summary: Naruto awakens the Rinnegan after a traumatic event, now with instructions from the Sage of the Six Paths himself, he sets out to find and bring together the other jinchuuriki before the Akatsuki can capture them all. Naruto/Yugito, Gaara/Fuu, Rinnegan Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody, well this is my newest story and I hope you guys like it! Now before we get to started, let me clear a few things up right now: first off, Naruto has all of Kurama's chakra sealed inside of him (you can expect this to be the case a majority of the time in my stories). Second, for those of you who think that just because Naruto has the Rinnegan that he's automatically going to be god-like, your wrong. I recently read a story called The Chronicles of My Shinobi Way, which I highly recommend, but anyway it gave me the idea of having the Rinnegan have multiple levels of power, like the Sharingan, allow my version is very different. A major difference between my version of Rinnegan and the manga and anime, is that this will be able to be deactivated.  
**

**Rinnegan Level 1- When a user awakens the Rinnegan, their eyes will turn a purple color, sclera and iris both, with a dot like pupil with a single concentric circle around the pupil, signifying the first level of Rinnegan. The first level allows the user to use all five types of nature manipulation as well as the first two Paths, Animal and Deva.  
**

**Rinnegan Level 2- When a user unlocks the second level of the Rinnegan, a second concentric ring appears around the pupil. With the activation of the second level the user is granted the ability to mix the five basic elemental chakra types to form the advanced chakra natures, Mokuton, Hyoton etc. as well as the next two Paths, Human and Preta.  
**

**Rinnegan Level 3- With activation of the third level, a third concentric circle appears around the pupil and grants the user the ability to user the extinct Meiton and Hiton ninjutsu, along with the last two Paths, Asura and Naraka.  
**

**Rinnegan Level 4- The fourth and final level of the Rinnegan can only be activated by the betrayal of a person closest to your heart. With the activation of the fourth level, the final concentric circle appears around the pupil and the user is granted the ability to wield the power of the Outer Path, the power to control life and death with the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu and the Outer Path: Samsara of Hell's Judgment Jutsu. The Heavenly Life Jutsu can return the souls of the deceased to their bodies and revive them, while the Hell's Judgment Jutsu can steal the souls of the victims from them and seal them away inside of the King of Hell.  
**

**Well, on with the story, and as always, I own nothing.  
**

**Chapter 1- Awakening**

Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was a peaceful place; a village known for its exceptional ninja, and its accepting and compassionate inhabitants. It was for this reason that many ninja clans flocked to Konoha and called the village home. But underneath this peaceful and accepting surface, was a boy, his life shrouded in mystery, and hated by the village he was sacrificed to save.

A young boy, no older than six, ran through the darkened streets of Konoha, weaving in between villagers with practiced ease. The boy's normally spiky blonde hair was matted down with dirt and blood seeping from a wound on the back of his head, his ragged and torn clothes barely hanging on to his malnourished body. A large mob of angry villagers burst from the crowd, each with a makeshift weapon in hand. Seeing the mob, the boy made a break for it down a side ally, the roars of the mob echoing in his ears. _'Why do they always do this, I haven't done anything!' _thought the boy as he turned down another ally, hoping to lose the mob before they had a chance to catch him. Sadly, his hopes were for not as he realized too late that the ally he ran down was a dead end.

The light from the street behind began to darken as multiple shadows blocked the way. Slowly turning around, the young boy came face to face with the rage and contempt filled faces of the mob that had been chasing him. A pink-haired woman stepped forward, pointing a kitchen knife threateningly at the trapped blonde.

"Time to die demon!" she screeched, causing many of the civilians around her to flinch slightly at the volume. "Get him!" the mob didn't need to be told twice, they raced towards the freighted blonde, their makeshift weapons raised to strike. The boy knew only pain as the civilians brought whatever they could use as a weapon down on his frail body. For hours the angry villagers assaulted the boy, beating him, stabbing him, cutting him, by the time they were done, it was hard to tell that the pile of bruised and bleeding flesh was even human. The same pink-haired women who seemed to be the leader of the mob, stalked towards the twisted mangled heap that was once Naruto Uzumaki.

"This is the end for you Kyuubi, finally we will have avenged Minato-kun and everyone you killed six years ago," she said, her screeching voice echoing in the ally. She raised the knife she had in her hand and in one shift motion, brought the blade down, embedding it in young Naruto, piercing his right lung. "Alright, now let's get out of here before any Anbu show up," she screeched before the mob quickly dispersed.

Naruto lay in the ally, beaten, broken and dying. The pain he felt from his injuries long forgotten, replaced by the numbing hold of one about to die. _'Why,' _he thought as he fought to open his eyes even a little, _'Why do they always do this, what have I done to deserve this?'_ Unknown to the young blonde, a powerful entity was awakening inside of his body and was viewing young Naruto's memories.

_Naruto's Mind_

A deep rumbling echoed throughout the dark corners of Naruto's mind as his demonic tenant finished viewing the memories of Naruto's life. **"How can these humans do this to a mere child?" **said the Kyuubi to itself as he turned his gaze to the paling image of Naruto at the base of the seal.** "They may call me a demon, but they are the only true monsters in this world. Come on kit, you can't die on me like this," **mumbled Kyuubi before sending his chakra into the boy's body, healing the otherwise fatal wounds he had sustained at the hands of the villagers.

Slowly the color began to return to the image of Naruto, and his eyes began to flutter open. The first thing that met Naruto's sapphire gaze was the eerie red glow of the Kyuubi's demonic chakra. _'Huh, where am I?' _the newly healed blonde thought as he took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a sewer of some kind, leaking pipes littered the walls and ceilings and they seemed to give off a strange bluish glow. Struggling to his feet, the blonde jinchuuriki noticed that the eerie glow around him was fading and retreating into what appeared to be a cage that replaced one of the walls of the sewer. Looking into the cage, Naruto saw nothing but a dark expanse that seemed to swallow everything around it. "What the…" he was cut off when two blood red, slitted eyes snapped open behind the cage, followed shortly by a deep, rumbling voice.

"**Do not be afraid little one, I shall not harm you," **said the Kyuubi when it saw Naruto's panicked expression. The young blondes panic slowly faded away, only to be replaced by confusion as he continued to look around him, trying to figure out where he was. As if reading his mind, Kyuubi gave Naruto the answer he was looking for, **"We are in your mind young one." **This only served to confuse the blonde even more as he turned back to face the two red eyes behind the cage.

"What do you mean in my mind? How'd I get here," said Naruto, the last part more to himself, but the Kyuubi heard it easily. "The last thing I remember is…" his voice trailed off as he tried to focus on what had happened to him earlier. The harder he tried to remember the happenings of just a few hours ago, the more the memories seemed to elude him. "Why can't I remember?" whispered Naruto before meeting the gaze of the two demonic eyes, subconsciously knowing that the owner had the answers he wanted.

Understanding exactly what the blonde was silently asking, the Kyuubi readied itself for the conversation at hand. **"You're wondering why you cannot remember what happened," **getting a curious nod from the boy, Kyuubi continued, **"It's simple; I am keeping them from you."**

"But why, there my memories, I should be allowed to know them," said Naruto, a frown spreading across his face as he glared at the two eyes accusingly. Completely unfazed by the six year olds attempt at intimidation, the Kyuubi decided to stop beating around the bush and get right to heart of the conversation.

"**Yes they are your memories, and yes you should be allowed to see them; but what you don't understand is what will happen if you do. You see, while we are in your mind, any memory you think about will play out before you, and right now that is the last thing you need to see," **said the Kyuubi. Seeing Naruto about to retort, Kyuubi decided to change the subject, **"Tell me young one, what is your name?" **Caught off guard at the sudden question, Naruto could only blink dumbly for few seconds before responding.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said with pride, his normal personality slowly starting to return. Kyuubi smirked slightly at the blonde's attitude, _**'I'm starting to like this gaki more and more.'**_

"**Alright then, tell me Naruto, do you have a dream, something you would work hard for?"** It was like a switch had been flipped inside the boy, Naruto's exuberant and happy personality return with a vengeance and he stood to his full height, pointing a thumb at his chest.

"To be Hokage, that's my dream! That way everyone will have to acknowledge me and respect me! I'll become stronger then all of the Hokage's combined, you'll see!" Kyuubi couldn't help it as his smirk widened at the blonde's antics and declaration, _**'Heh, looks like getting him to agree to my idea won't be as hard as I first thought.'**_

"**So you want to be Hokage," **mussed Kyuubi aloud, getting another confident nod from the blonde, **"Well if you're going to be Hokage, you'll need to train hard, and the first thing you can do is drop that mask of yours." **Naruto frowned slightly at that statement, how did this person know about his mask?

"I don't know what you're talking about," mumbled the blonde, looking away from the red eyes that were watching him closely.

"**You know very well what I am talking about, you may be able to hide it from everyone else, but I have seen the memories of your life through your own eyes. You cannot hide your true self from me kit, and it's time you stopped hiding it from yourself,"** Kyuubi said with more force than he had intended. Despite his little slip, he got the response he wanted; Naruto met his gaze again, but this time the enthusiastic spark in his eyes had dimmed. **"Good, now I have a proposition for you," **the young blonde raised an eyebrow in interest, silently asking for the Kyuubi to continue. **"I would like to train you, so that what happened tonight will not happen again. But be warned, should you agree to the training, you will do exactly as I say with no arguing, understand?"**

For several minutes, Naruto stood motionless before the Kyuubi's cage, silently debating whether or not to accept the offer. On the one hand, he was being offered a chance to be trained by someone who was obviously powerful, if the aura around him was any indication. But on the other hand, he had no idea who this person was, and they wouldn't even let him view his own memories, though if the nagging feeling the back of his mind was right, he probably didn't want to know. Naruto debated over this for a few more minutes before finally meeting the Kyuubi's gaze once again, a spark of determination burning in his eyes, "I accept your offer."

Kyuubi smiled, his first true smile in over fifty millennia, **"Very well then, we will begin tomorrow after your body has fully recovered from tonight. Now I believe I forgot to introduce myself, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-tailed Fox, and my name is Kurama."**

Naruto froze when Kurama introduced himself, he couldn't believe the person, or fox in this case, before him was the most powerful being in existence. "The Kyuubi no Kitsune, but how; Hokage-jiji said the Yondaime killed you!" shouted Naruto as he slowly began to back away from the cage. Kurama sighed knowing this had been coming sense the start of the conversation.

"**No Naruto, as you can plainly see I am not dead. The Yondaime couldn't kill me; no human has the power to kill a bijuu. But he did the next best thing; he sealed me away inside of you. You are what are known as a jinchuuriki, a human sacrificed in order to protect others. That is the reason the people of this village hate you, they do not see an innocent child, they see only what I have done to them. I am truly sorry you have been forced to live this life, a life I wouldn't wish upon even the most foul creatures," **said Kurama, his sorrow and regret plain in his voice. In that moment, Naruto saw the Kyuubi for what it really was, a misunderstood being, forced into being what they were at birth, the same as himself. Completely forgetting his previous fear, Naruto slowly approached the cage before passing through the bars without hesitation.

Kurama's eyes snapped open when he felt something small touch his snout. Naruto stood before him, slowly petting his reddish-orange fur, completely unafraid that he was now completely vulnerable. "We're the same; we were both made what we are at birth, we had no control over that. But what we do have control over is what we do with what we were given," said Naruto as he looked Kurama in the eye, "So when do we start that training?" he said with a smirk.

Kurama smirked in return, **"We'll start first thing tomorrow, but for now go home and rest. Oh and you might want to pull the knife in your lung out," **said the Kyuubi before Naruto was ejected from his mind.

Naruto sat bolt upright, his breathing raged, _'What the hell?' _he thought before he was suddenly hit with a flood of memories. The mob, the beating, the knife in his chest, everything came back to him like he had never forgotten. "Damn them, one day they'll pay for what they did," mumbled Naruto before he noticed the black handle of the kitchen knife sticking out of his flesh. Grabbing onto the handle, Naruto slowly started pulling the blade out, feeling the injury heal as he did. When the blade was finally out, Naruto watched in fascination as the remainder of the wound healed itself, not even leaving a scar. "Kurama, did you do that?" he asked out loud.

"**Yes kit, I did, and don't talk out loud, if you want to speak to me than just think it. Oh and keep that knife with you, let it serve as a remainder of this night to help motivate you to improve faster," **said the voice of the Kyuubi no Kitsune from inside Naruto's head. _'Alright, well I guess I better get back home. It's probably safe to assume you have a busy day planned for me tomorrow,' _thought Naruto as he started to slowly make his way home, being sure to avoid the main roads and sticking to alley ways. _**'Kit, you have no idea,' **_thought Kurama to himself before curling up in his cage and falling asleep.

_The Next Morning_

Naruto awoke to the sun shining in his eyes through a tear in his curtains. Cracking one eye open, he slowly sat up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. **"Alright gaki, get ready real fast and then find a secluded place where I can train you," **said the demonic voice of Kurama inside of the young blondes head. Said blondes eyes shot open in excitement before he jumped out of bed and bolted for the bathroom. Going through his usual morning ritual, Naruto quickly brushed his teeth, took a shower before going to his closet to put on some clothes. Opening his closet revealed a sea of orange of jumpsuits with a few shirts and pants hanging off to the side. **"No way in hell is my jinchuuriki going to be caught dead wearing that! Put on some of those darker clothes that are hanging off to the side," **said Kurama, annoyed that his host had such unsuitable clothing.

Not wanting to anger his new sensei, Naruto grabbed a pair of black baggy cargo pants and a skin tight black t-shirt. After he was dressed, Naruto went to his kitchen to prepare some breakfast, only to be stopped by his new sensei when he opened his cupboards. **"Don't even think of eating any of that ramen crap, go out and get something nutritious and healthy to eat," **Naruto couldn't stop the frown that crossed his lips before trying to explain this to his sensei. _'Trust me Kurama, I would if I could. Ramen is great and all, but it gets old after eating it so many times, but there's a reason why it's the only thing I ever eat. The stores and markets refuse to sell me anything else and the only restaurant that will let me in is the ramen stand that Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-neesan own.'_

"**Well kit, it looks like it's time for your first lesson to begin. I want you to sneak into a store and steal some fruit for breakfast, this will help you work on your stealth and infiltration skills as a shinobi," **said Kurama, taking up his role as a sensei very naturally. Naruto would have argued, but thought better of it and just decided to go along with it. Exiting his apartment, Naruto made sure the door was locked before he started making his way towards the market district which was close to opening. Arriving at the main road of the village, Naruto quickly hid in an ally and watched the shops for even a slight opening to snag himself something to eat. After twenty agonizing minutes, not helped in the slightest by his growling stomach, Naruto saw an opening when a shop owner went into his back room for something. Not willing to pass up the opportunity, the young blonde ran towards the store, careful not to be seen and slipped inside without jostling the bell on the door. Taking a quick look around for where his targets were, Naruto saw a stand with fruit crates, unfortunately sitting right next to the door to the back room.

Hesitating for only a second, Naruto quickly made his way across the shop and grabbed a few pieces of fruit, storing them in his pockets. A triumphant smirk appeared on his lips as he patted himself on the back for a job well done, only for his eyes to widen when he heard the handle on the door next to him jiggle. His breath caught in his throat as the door opened slightly and a foot appeared from the doorway, pushing the door the rest of the way open. Reacting on pure instinct, Naruto slid himself in-between the fruit stand and a stand of vegetables to keep from being seen. Fortunately for him, the store keeper was busy lifting three large boxes and grumbling to himself to take notice. Watching the man walk away with his load, Naruto quickly slipped into the back room and found a door leading out into an ally. Smiling to himself at his first bit of successful training, Naruto took out a pear from his pocket and took a bite out of it. **"Not bad kit, but had the man not been preoccupied at the time, he would have spotted you easily. We'll have to work on your stealth some more during our training," **said Kurama, raining on Naruto's parade. _'Alright Kurama-sensei,' _sighed the blonde as he slowly made his way towards a training ground he knew no one ever used.

_Training ground 43- Ten minutes later_

'_Alright Kurama-sensei, what are we doing first?' _asked Naruto once he was seated in the middle of a fairly large training ground, overlooking what appeared to be a dark forest surrounded by a barbwire fence. **"First, we need to assess your skill level. I trust you have been taught how to access your chakra, right?" **Naruto outwardly nodded, _'Yeah, we just learned to do that at the Academy.' _**"Alright then, I want you to focus and draw out as much of your chakra as possible," **nodding in understanding, Naruto formed the ram seal and began focusing on his chakra. Seconds, became minutes and just as Kurama was about to give Naruto some advice, said blonde released a massive amount of chakra, easily matching an average chuunin. _**'Damn, I knew the kit would have large reserves, but what he's putting out right now should be impossible for his age, even for a jinchuuriki,' **_thought Kurama as he continued to watch his new pupil draw on his chakra, _**'Hmmm, so he has monstrous reserves but not much control over it. That's about all I can test him in right now; he hasn't learned anything else in that Academy that could be useful right now.' **_**"Alright kit, that's enough," **said Kurama as his host slowly stopped drawing out his chakra.

"So how'd I do sensei?" asked Naruto, momentarily forgetting to speak in his mind.

"**Not bad kit, your chakra reserves are extremely large for your age, but your control over it is pathetic," **said Kurama, not even trying to sugar coat things for his jinchuuriki. Naruto nodded in understanding, it explained why he couldn't sense much when the other kids flared their chakra in class and why the sensei's there panicked when he flared his. **"Since your chakra control is so bad, we'll start with that. Now I want you to grab multiple leaves and stick them to your body with chakra," **wordlessly standing up, Naruto walked over to one of the many tree's that surrounded the training ground and picked up a hand full of fallen leaves. Moving back to his original position, Naruto sat down and placed the leaves all over his body before trying to get them to stick with chakra. Surprisingly, the task proved much easier than Naruto had expected, but he was only able to make a few stick while others were fluttering an inch off of body. _**'Just as I thought, with his large reserves it's difficult for him to use small amounts of chakra, but by using more chakra at once to learn control, we can slowly begin to decrease the amount chakra he uses,' **_thought Kurama as he watched as a few more leaves stuck to the blonde's body.

Slowly the hours went by, and Naruto still remained in his position in the middle of the training ground over twenty leaves sticking to his body. _'Hey, it's starting to get easier,' _thought Naruto when he felt the drain on his chakra slowly begin to decrease. Kurama noticed this as well and decided it was time to increase the difficulty, **"Kit, stop with the exercise for now." **Slightly confused at why his sensei wanted him to stop, Naruto slowly let the leaves fall from his body before returning his attention to his tenant. **"We're going to make things harder for you; I want you to stick four leaves to your body. But you have to make them stick at your wrist and at your ankles, one for each. This will force you to spread your chakra evenly throughout your body, while at the same time forcing you to decrease the amount of chakra you are using." **Nodding in understanding, the blonde picked up four leaves and put one on each of his ankles, then one on each wrist before trying to make them stick to his body again.

This task proved to be easier said than done as Naruto was having enough trouble just getting his chakra to spread throughout his body evenly. _'Come on, why isn't this working?' _thought Naruto as he kept trying to force more and more chakra through his coils. Minutes passed and still the blonde was unable to stick the four leaves to his body, frustrated, Naruto tried once again to force his chakra to spread throughout his body, only to cry out in pain as a burning sensation spread over his body. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw several vibrant red lines burning under his skin on his arms. Checking over the rest of his body, Naruto saw the same red lines everywhere as burning sensation slowly died down. _'What the hell was that?' _**"That was you trying to force too much chakra through your coils at once. Chakra is a part of you, it is an extension of your physical and spiritual being, you cannot force it to do anything. You must let it flow; you must feel your chakra inside you and will it to do what you want." **Naruto was slightly taken aback by the intensity in his sensei's voice while he lectured him or his mistake, but nodded none the less. **"For now meditate, it will let your body heal and will allow you to work on communing with your chakra," **said Kurama as he took a few calming breaths, he too was surprised at the force he used as he lectured Naruto, but let it go as nothing.

Following his sensei's instructions, Naruto relaxed his body and began to meditate to allow his body to heal and to commune with his chakra. As time began to pass, Naruto was slowly getting deeper and deeper into his meditative state, his sensei watching over him as he did.

Naruto's eye snapped open when he felt something collide with him, but to his utter shock, he was no longer in the middle of the training ground. He seemed to be floating in the middle of a white expanse that had no end, crimson red veins littered the area around him but it was the giant ball of blue energy that was kept lashing out in random intervals that had his attention. **"That is your chakra kit," **said the voice of Kurama from behind the blonde. Whirling around, Naruto saw the Kyuubi no Kitsune in all his glory standing behind him.

"Where are we Kurama, what happened?" asked Naruto, his shock at the current situation clear in his voice.

"**We are in your mind kit,"** said the mighty fox as he observed the area around them.

"My mind, but wait I thought my mind looked like a sewer not this," Naruto said, his confusion growing.

"**True, but we are much deeper into your mind now; we are at your core. The sewer you saw before was only the surface of your mind, a defense mechanism that you subconsciously created to protect yourself," **Kurama said as a look of slight understanding crossed Naruto's face. **"What you see before you, is the core of your being. The veins that mark this area is my chakra inside of you, that giant blue orb is your chakra. As you can tell, it is wild and uncontrolled; if you wish to become a stronger ninja you will have to learn to control and commune with your chakra properly." **With that, Kurama vanished from Naruto's core leaving behind a confused blonde.

Turning to his now identified core, Naruto watched as it continued to thrash uncontrollably. His sensei's words ringing through his mind as he continued to watch the uncontrolled chakra lash out. _'I must commune with my core,' _he thought before he slowly approached the unstable mass of chakra, _'My chakra is a part of me, it is an extension of who I am.' _Slowly, Naruto reached his hand out and placed it on the outer surface of his chakra. Instantly, warmth spread over his body as he was pulled into the chakra core, _'I must let my chakra flow, but bend it my will.' _His core began to slowly stabilize itself, its thrashing becoming less and less frequent as it slowly formed into a perfect sphere around the young blonde.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was experiencing; his skin was tingling from the sensation of being one with his chakra, and for the first time in his life, he truly felt at peace. Kurama watched all of this from the seal and he couldn't help the smirk that graced his features as his host began to commune with his chakra, _**'He finally figured it out, he certainly has the potential to become great.' **_The fox continued to watch over his host's body as he continued his meditation, a frown slowly replacing his smirk as a feeling a sudden doom spread through his body, _**'For some reason, I can't shake the feeling that something will happen to the boy, something disastrous. I just hope this doesn't turn out like the last time I had this feeling.'**_

_Two Years Later_

Standing in the middle of his usual training ground, was Naruto Uzumaki, completely unmoving, and looking for the entire world like he was relaxing. His eyes snapped open suddenly and he began what appeared to be a kata for a taijutsu style. The young blonde moved effortlessly through every punch, kick and feint, if anyone had been watching him, they probably would have thought he was dancing more than training. Ending with a quick side kick, Naruto returned to his relaxed position and began to relax from the training.

"**Alright kit, that's enough for today," **said the Kyuubi from his cage inside of the blondes mind, **"You have done well today kit; go treat yourself to some ramen." **Naruto perked up at that and after finishing his cool down, ran off towards his favorite ramen stand.

Naruto ignored the usual glares he got from the villagers, too excited about having some of the most heavenly ramen on the planet. When the familiar ramen stand came into view, Naruto ran the rest of the way and rushed right into the stand before taking a seat at the bar. "Hey Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-neesan," said to the father daughter pair that owned the small stand.

"Hey Naruto, finished your training for the day?" asked Teuchi with a smile at the blonde jinchuuriki.

Returning the smile Naruto nodded in the affirmative, "Yeah I just finished, so I thought I'd come by and get some of your heavenly ramen old man." Teuchi gave a deep chuckle before going into the back to get ready to make the Naruto's ramen.

"So Naruto-kun, what will you have today?" asked Ayame.

"Hmm, five bowls of miso ramen please." Ayame nodded before turning to the small window into the back room.

"Five miso dad!" she shouted.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi shouted back from the kitchen. Naruto smiled as he and Ayame started talking about anything and everything under the sun, while Teuchi cooked Naruto's ramen. _'I guess this is what having a family feels like,' _thought Naruto as he and Ayame continued to talk with Teuchi joining them after placing Naruto's order in front of him. It continued this way for hours, even after Naruto had finished his ramen; he refused to leave the small stand or the people he thought of as family.

"Hey Naruto," said Teuchi bringing the blondes and his attention to him. They were slightly unnerved by the unusually serious expression the normally jovial ramen chef had on, but paid attention none the less. "What do you think of the idea joining our family?"

Naruto couldn't believe his ears, the man he thought of as a father figure had just asked him if he would like to join his family. The thought of having an actual family was a little much for the blonde, who was silently crying a few tears of joy. Ayame saw the tears and immediately went around the counter to give Naruto a hug, "Shhh, shhh its ok Naruto-kun," she whispered. Naruto held onto her as if his life depended on it, he was just so overwhelmed that he might actually get to have a family.

After a few minutes, Naruto managed to calm enough so that he could speak again. "Do…do you really mean it old man, you want me to join your family?"

Teuchi smile at the boy and rub his head a little, "Of course I mean it Naruto, I've always wanted a son and Ayame hear has always wanted a little brother she can dote on. So what do you say, want join the Ichiraku family?"

Naruto could only nod a yes, his emotions over coming him again. Ayame squealed in excitement, tightening her hold on Naruto, while Teuchi laughed at the sight.

The family to be was brought out of their happy thoughts by the sound a voice from the front of the store. "Well isn't this just the sweetest thing," sneered a jounin as he entered the ramen stand. The three occupants turned to the sound of the voice only to come face to face with no less than five chuunin being led by the jounin who spoke. "It looks like the two of you are more deranged then I thought, offering that demon a place in your family, how pathetic," he scoffed. With a quick hand signal, two of the chuunin shot forward and grabbed Teuchi and Ayame, throwing them to the floor in front of the jounin, while a third restrained Naruto. "You know, people like you disgust me. Associating with filth like that demon, befouling the pure streets of our village, how can you live with yourself?" said the jounin his voice holding nothing but contempt for the two civilians in front of him.

"And you," he said turning his attention to Naruto, "You don't even deserve to live you retched demon, and yet you walk our village, mocking us with your very presence, well now it's our turn. You killed our family and loved ones all those years ago, and now we'll return the favor." Naruto's eyes widened in fear before he started struggling against the man holding him down, his heart breaking at the thought of losing Teuchi and Ayame. "You know what to do," said the jounin turning to the remaining two chuunin behind him. They nodded before they both pulled out a kunai and stalked towards the two trapped civilians.

"NO!" screamed Naruto as he finally managed to free one of his arms from his attacker. Elbowing the man in the face, Naruto brook out of his loosened hold and charged the chuunin who were only a few inches away from their victims. Before he could do anything though, he was knocked into the back wall by the jounin and the three chuunin grabbed him and held him back.

"You think you can stop us demon?" the jounin said with a twisted smirk on his face, "I guess you trying to save these two disgraces is to be expected, after all, who else would be stupid enough to befriend a demon."

"Leave them alone! If you want to kill someone kill me!" screamed Naruto as he continued to thrash and struggle against the chuunin.

"Oh believe me we will kill you, but those two have to go first. Hokage-sama was very specific with his instructions; 'Let the demon know the pain of lose that he has caused to our village before you kill him. make him feel the same pain we felt when he killed our loved ones by killing his loved ones.'" Naruto's eyes widened in shock, _'Hokage-jiji ordered them to do this?'_

Inside the seal Kurama was cursing up a storm, **"Kami dammit, I hate it when those feelings of mine are right! I can't do a thing to help, damn you Yondaime Hokage! Kit come on you have to stop them, if you don't something big is gonna happen!"**

But it was too late, the jounin had given the order to the two chuunin and the so willingly carried out the deed. Time to stop for Naruto as he watched as his future family was taken from him; Teuchi didn't even flinch as the blade slit his throat, his rage at the perpetrators permanently etched on his face. Ayame managed to turn around in time to face Naruto but she couldn't stop the kunai that pierced her heart. As she fell to the floor she one last thing with her dying breath, "Naruto, I love you otouto."

Naruto worlds shattered, hearing Ayame call him her otouto was too much. His body fell limp as he stopped struggling against his captives, the lifeless bodies of Teuchi and Ayame burned into his memory. _'Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-neesan, I loved you guys like you were my family,' _thought Naruto with head down, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. _'This village, this cursed village has taken my only true family from me, and someone I considered family was the one to order it!' _unknown to anyone but Kurama, something inside of Naruto was awakening, something long thought to be myth.

"How does it feel demon, to have those you care for taken from you? Now you know the pain you brought to this village, and now we will take our revenge for you have done. Iruka, Kotetsu, Izumo, hold him up, I won't to see the life leave him when I kill him." The three chuunin holding Naruto smirked at their superiors command before they forced Naruto into a standing position, his hair still shadowing his eyes.

Inside the seal, Kurama was frozen in shock at what was taking place just a few feet away from him. The leaky pipes that resembled Naruto's chakra coils were sealing themselves and his chakra was flowing much more steadily inside them. But the thing that held the fox's attention was the silhouette of a man that was slowly approaching his cage. The only things that could be seen on the silhouette were the monk staff he carried and the necklace with six blood red magatama he wore. Unlike the rest of body however, his eyes were clear as day, a metallic purple with a dot like pupil with four concentric circles surrounding it, giving them a rippling effect.

"Kurama, it's good to see you again my child," said the figure once he was standing in front of the seal.

"**Sage-jiji," **whispered the Kyuubi no Kitsune in awe. **"Wait your dead! We watched you die in front of us!"**

"Yes my child, I have indeed crossed over to the other side. But have you forgotten my son, he who holds the Rinnegan is above the cycle of life and death. With the last of my chakra I have sent my spirit back to this plane because I sensed my true heir was about to awaken his birthright," the silhouette said causing the Kyuubi's eyes to widened in realization.

"**Are you saying that the kit is your heir?"**

"Yes my child, and it is time that he receive my blessing." The silhouette raised his staff slightly before tapping it on the floor. A ringing echoed throughout the seal before it started to shift, the dark dreary walls of the cell became three Torii gates with wooden pillars filling the normal gate openings while the bars of the cell became wooden and the paper seal was replaced with a spiral lock. "This new seal will prevent you from being absorbed into my heir like his father intended. Instead it will allow the boy to commune with your chakra much easier and with training learn to control it. Kurama, my eldest son, I am entrusting you with my heir, protect him and when he is ready tell him what must be done in order to gain full control over your power." Kurama could do little more than nod as the ghostly figure began to slowly fade, "Before I leave, there is one more thing I must ask of you my son."

"**Anything," **the fox said without hesitation.

"There is another with my eyes, though they are not his by birth, he is part of an evil force that is gaining strength in the shadows. From the other side I have watched them and I have learned of their horrifying plan," said the silhouette, his eyes downcast. "They plan to revive your mother, the Juubi." Kurama's body went rigid, he knew that there was only one way to revive the Juubi, and if it was successful he would cease to exist. "My son, my first born, I beg of you, find your brothers and sisters. Only when the nine chosen jinchuuriki fight as one, will this world have a chance at survival." The ghostly form faded away into nothingness, but a soft whisper managed to reach the ears of the Kyuubi before it did, "Be strong my son, and know that I will always love you."

For the first time since his birth, Kurama shed a single tear, **"I won't fail you, and I will always love you too…Father."**

Back in the real world, Naruto tears continued to fall as the jounin and the two chuunin who killed his future family approached. The jounin pulled out a kunai once he close enough to the grieving blonde, "Raise your head demon, I want to see your eyes before you die," taunted the jounin. The blonde jinchuuriki made no indication that he heard the jounin and just continued to cry over the loss of his family. "Fine, if you won't look me in the eye willingly we'll do it for you, Kotetsu." Said chuunin nodded in understanding before grabbing Naruto's blonde locks and yanking his head up.

The sight that met the three shinobi facing the blonde was not what they were expecting. Gone were the warm sapphire eyes that Naruto was known for, replaced by a metallic purple that spread over his entire eye, sclera and all. His pupil was replaced with a small black dot with a single concentric ring around it. The jounin and two chuunin were brought out of their shocked stupor by the sound of the blonde speaking, though his voice not entirely his own.

"You six are a disgrace to my teachings and the ways of the ninja. Now you must pay for your crimes against my heir and for your disgracing of my teachings." Naruto's eyes seemed to glow as a ghostly silhouette appeared above his body. The silhouette had the same eyes as him only with four circles around the pupil along with a magatama necklace and monk staff. The three rookie chuunin holding Naruto dropped his body from fear at this sudden change and quickly fled from the stand, fearing for their lives.

"You cowards, you'll pay for this!" the jounin shouted when he saw the three flee.

"No, it is you who shall pay," said the altered voice of Naruto as a small black rod appeared in his hand. Lunging forward, Naruto impaled the chuunin who had killed Teuchi in the heart before turning his attention to the chuunin who had killed Ayame. Said shinobi tried to run but Naruto merely raised his left hand towards the chuunin while forming another black rod in his right. "Banshou Tenin," the blonde whispered before the chuunin felt himself being pulled backwards by an unseen force, impaling him on the black rod in Naruto's hand.

The jounin who had lead the group watched this with a mixture of awe and fear in his eyes. First the demon had seemingly created a weapon out of thin air before killing one of his men and now he had seemingly pulled the other chuunin towards him and impaled him on another of those weird rods. Before he had a chance to even consider fleeing, the jounin found himself on the floor with Naruto standing over him, the silhouette giving him an ethereal appearance. "Please, spare me," begged the jounin as sweat began to appear over his body.

"Did you show mercy to an innocent child, did you show mercy to the two civilians you had murdered?" the jounin couldn't answer, his fear stealing his voice from him. "Those who do not show mercy do not deserve mercy," Naruto said as he raised his right hand and pointed it at the jounin chest, "Shinra Tensei."

It happened in an instant, one second the jounin was begging for mercy and the next, his body was nothing more than a pancake on the floor. Naruto looked at the bodies of those he killed with indifference before his new eyes landed on the forms of Teuchi and Ayame. A single tear fell from Naruto's eyes as he used his new found ability to control gravity to make a makeshift grave for the two. Placing the two corpses into the grave, Naruto smiled sadly as his hands went through a series of hand seals he didn't even know. "Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-neesan, I love you. Rest in peace, and one day we will be together again, as a family. Katon: Fireball Jutsu," bringing his right hand to his mouth, Naruto spewed out a small ball of fire that burned the bodies of Teuchi and Ayame, a funeral befitting royalty.

Naruto turned to the exit of the small stand, debating whether or not to pursue the three that had escaped. "No, their time will come. For now I need to leave," he said as he made his way towards the back room planning on using the ally way to escape. He paused mid-step though, and turned back to the three corpses of shinobi that lay on the floor. Walking up to one of the chuunin, he bent down and removed the man's headband. Starring at the leaf symbol engraved into the metal, reaching behind him, Naruto pulled out the same knife that had been stabbed into his lung the night he almost died. In one swift motion, Naruto slashed the leaf symbol on the headband with the knife in the same manner that many rouge ninja did. Putting the knife back, Naruto tied the headband around his forehead and quickly left through the back ally way, heading in the direction of the main gate.

_Just outside of Konohagakure_

Walking down a path that lead to the main gate of Konohagakure no Sato was the fabled Toad Sage himself, Jiraiya of the Sannin. A slight breeze ruffled his long spiky white hair that he kept in a ponytail, stopping the Toad Sage in his tracks. He had learned long ago to trust his instincts, and thanks to his training with the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myobokuzan, he had come to understand the strange methods that nature would use to signify something. _'The wind is changing,' _thought the Toad Sage as he watched the leaves fluttering in the wind, _'A great change has happened, but the question is what?'_

His answer came to him when he saw a young boy maybe eight years old running towards him. The boy stopped a few yards away from him, panting slightly. He had on a black skin tight shirt that was ripped in a couple places, his black baggy pants seemed to be stained with blood, but what caught the Toad Sage's attention was his face. Spiky blonde hair stuck up in every direction on top of his head, while metallic purple eyes starred back at him with a dot like pupil. _'The Rinnegan!? To think that I would see those eyes again in this life, but how is it possible that this boy has those eyes?' _thought Jiraiya as he continued to observe the boy, his eyes darting to the slashed Konoha headband on the boy's forehead. _'What, he's too young to have graduated already, and he doesn't even have any standard genin equipment. Who is this boy?' _the Sage kept looking for any identifying marks on the boy's body, but his eyes widened when he saw the familiar whisker like marks on the boy's face. "Naruto?" Jiraiya whispered in shock.

"How do you know who I am?" asked Naruto as his Rinnegan began to glow slightly.

Jiraiya saw the glow and immediately understood what it meant, "I don't mean you any harm, I just want to talk. My name is Jiraiya, and I know who you are because my sensei was the Sandaime Hokage, you interrupted more than one of our meetings," he said with a chuckle at the end.

"You were taught by that backstabbing traitor?" Naruto said his contempt for the man clear in his voice. Jiraiya was once again shocked, the last time he had seen Naruto the boy cared so much for the Sandaime. _'What the hell have you done now sensei?' _thought Jiraiya as he knelt down to be at Naruto's level.

"What happened?" asked the Toad Sage, fearing the worst. The last student he had only activated the Rinnegan because of a traumatic event, _'Could this be the change the wind predicted?'_

Naruto didn't speak for a few seconds, silently determining whether or not to trust this man. **"Tell him kit, he may be a student of that traitorous kage, but I can sense that he truly cares for you," **Kurama said, unwilling to let his host make a foolish mistake, **"You will need a human sensei to teach you what I cannot. If what I sense is true this man not only cares for you, but is powerful enough to help you become stronger."**

Outwardly Naruto nodded in understanding, making Jiraiya think he came to a decision, "Alright, I'll tell you. The Sandaime Hokage ordered a team of five chuunin lead by a jounin to kill me, but not before they killed the two people who had just offered to adopt me." Naruto's voice broke slightly at the mention of Teuchi and Ayame, but continued on, "The last thing I remember before blacking out was watching two of the chuunin kill Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-neesan. When I came to, the jounin leading the group was dead as well as the two chuunin who carried out the deed. Konoha has proven that they will never accept me and if they won't accept me as an ally, then they will have to deal with me as an enemy." Naruto slipped into his taijutsu stance, making his attentions clear that if Jiraiya tried to take him back he wouldn't go quietly.

Jiraiya remained silent throughout Naruto's story and couldn't keep the look of utter shock off of his face. _'Sarutobi-sensei what the hell have you done?' _thought Jiraiya as he starred off into space, trying to understand what the hell could've happen. Seeing Naruto in a taijutsu stance, Jiraiya made up his mind on the spot and got up, the winds of change blowing once again, "Alright kid, come with me, I'll take you away from here." Naruto seemed slightly surprised at this, but after a mental nudge from Kurama, agreed to go with the Toad Sage. _'Whatever Konoha has done, whether on sensei's order or not, is unforgivable! They have betrayed Minato's legacy, and doing so, betrayed me as well. Minato, if you can hear me, I swear to you I will make Naruto a shinobi to surpass all others, and maybe even surpass the Sage of the Six Paths himself!'_

**Well there you go, the first chapter of Jinchuuriki Unleashed. Like it, don't like it, let me know! Also, I am looking for a beta reader to help me out with my writing, if your interested please let me know through a PRIVATE MESSAGE! **

**Well that's all for now, till next time!  
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**BSW  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next installation of Jinchuuriki Unleashed! Well I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in the review turn out for the first chapter, but I some what expected that with a new story. Well, I can only hope it improves as the story goes on.  
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**the iriatation- I understand how that might be confusing, but rest assured that will be addressed in this chapter. Thank you very much for your praise and vote of confidence for my newest story.  
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**WolfCoyote- Thank you my friend, it's refreshing to know I have such a loyal reader. Honestly, I was a bit surprised with myself that I killed off the Ichiraku's, but at this stage in Naruto's life, they were the only ones who were truly nice to him. If you liked what I did in Kumo's Black Fox, then you should enjoy the scene involving Jiraiya and Sarutobi in this chapter.  
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**traviswj- As for your question about Naruto, I'm not entirely sure at the moment. He will definitely return to Konoha for the Chuunin Exams, but after that I'm not sure.  
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**rivereagles999- The Sage may or may not make anymore appearance, I'm still deciding on that. As for Kumo's Black Fox, no I will not be stopping it and I will update it soon hopefully. Whether Killer Bee will leave Kumo or not is still to be decided.  
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**redlox2- I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. As for your question, I'm not certain whether or not to have the nine cut all contact with the other nations, or to give them a base. I probably won't have an answer to that question until it comes time for Yugito and Killer Bee to make an appearance.  
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**sheltie- Yeah, killing off those two was kind of hard, they're usually the only constant in most fanfiction. I hope you like how I worked the scene involving Sarutobi in this chapter.  
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**Isom- First thing: I know, I know I didn't like killing them off either. Second thing: Yes he is. Third: Yes, yes she is.  
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**BowTechsniper- Well I hope I earned your forgiveness.  
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**I own nothing  
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**Chapter 2- The Truth Revealed**

Naruto and Jiraiya were walking along one of the more deserted roads in the Land of Fire, heading south towards Tanzaku Gai. The two traveled in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. _'What have you done sensei, how could you have betrayed Minato and I so easily?' _thought Jiraiya as he glanced at the young blonde that was with him, _'Hmm, even though he's a jinchuuriki, I can't any excess chakra coming off of his body. But what's more confusing is his Rinnegan, it only has one ring around the pupil, but when I found Nagato his eyes had four rings. Could it be that Naruto has a different kind of Rinnegan?'_

While Jiraiya was focused on trying to solve the mystery behind Naruto's eyes, Naruto was having a conversation with Kurama. _'I don't get it Kurama, why does it feel like something is eating away at my chakra?'_ asked the blonde. Kurama took a minute to respond, curious about that himself, **"It's your eyes kit, you need to quit channeling your chakra into them." **Nodding in understanding, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on stopping the flow of chakra to his eyes. When he felt the drain on his chakra stop he opened his eyes again and they were back to their normal sapphire.

"Hey Naruto," Jiraiya said getting the blondes attention, "When we reach Tanzaku Gai, we'll start your training with a quick assessment of what your already capable of. After that I'll give you an exercise to do while I go back to Konoha."

Naruto frowned at the mention of his old village, "Why are you going back there, you going to go see the Hokage or something?" Jiraiya nodded the affirmative, a frown on his face as well.

"Yeah, I want some answers and the Hokage is the only one who has the answers." Naruto seemed to accept this and the two continued the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. It was a few more hours before the two travelers walked over a hill and saw Tanzaku Gai in the distance. "We're here, Tanzaku Gai," said Jiraiya as the two continued on into the village. It didn't take long for them to find a suitable hotel to stay at for a while, after paying the owner for a week's long stay, Jiraiya led Naruto back into the woods around the village. Stopping in a clearing not too far from the town, Jiraiya turned to his newest apprentice, "Alright gaki, let's see what you can do. Lesson one: Taijutsu."

Naruto quickly slipped into his opening stance before charging the Toad Sage, going for a quick right jab. _'A straight forward attack, well I guess that's to be expected from a little kid,' _thought Jiraiya as he moved to block the jab, only to be forced to duck under a kick at the last second. _'A feint, that kind of taijutsu isn't taught at the Academy,' _Jiraiya thought in surprise as he prepared to block a spin kick to the ribs but received a roundhouse to the side of his head. Stumbling back slightly, Jiraiya starred at Naruto in surprise before he smirked, _'Despite his age, his taijutsu is very advanced and very unique. Not many people can make use of a style like this if it's used correctly, and even fewer no how to counter.' _Not willing to take another hit like that, Jiraiya decided to end things quick. Moving to block another feint, Jiraiya easily shifted to block the true attack and threw Naruto away.

"Not bad gaki, your taijutsu is pretty advance for your age. But you relay too much on feints to get your hits, any skilled ninja will be able to see that and come up with an effective counter. However, if you use less feints and mix them into a direct style, your attacks will be almost impossible to predict and even harder to counter," Jiraiya said once Naruto had picked himself up. Said blonde nodded in understanding, Kurama had told him the same thing on more than one occasion. "Alright, now let's test your genjutsu."

"Actually Jiraiya-sensei I suck at genjutsu, my chakra control isn't good enough for me to place even the simplest genjutsu and I can't even break out of the simplest ones either," Naruto said with a slight frown. Jiraiya furrowed his eyebrow at this, _'Something doesn't make since, if his chakra control is as bad as he says it is than he should have a good amount of chakra flowing out of his body.' _That's when he noticed something different about Naruto, more specifically his eyes.

"Naruto what happened to your Rinnegan!?" he said in utter shock.

"Huh, oh there was this weird drain on my chakra from my eyes so I cut the flow," Naruto said in a matter of fact tone.

'_Stopped the flow of chakra to his eyes? Could he be able to deactivate his Rinnegan at will like the Sharingan or Byakugan?' _"Naruto, send some chakra to your eyes." Naruto closed his eyes and focused a little bit of his chakra into his eyes, only just realizing how much easier it was for him to use his chakra. _'What the hell?' _Naruto thought before he opened his eyes, revealing the metallic purple with one ring.

'_So I was right, his Rinnegan is different than Nagato's,' _"Alright gaki, I'm going to put a basic genjutsu on you and I want you to break out of it," Jiraiya said before performing two hand seals causing the world around Naruto blur slightly before stabilizing. When Naruto looked around, nothing had changed but there was a slight blue glow around him. _'Hey Kurama, what's with the blue glow?' _**"That's the chakra forming the genjutsu around you. Your Rinnegan must be able to see through genjutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan, now try and dispel it by disrupting your chakra flow."**

Naruto closed his eyes while forming the ram seal and focused on his chakra, feeling it flowing through his body he quickly stopped it, immediately releasing the genjutsu. Naruto looked on in surprise as everything blurred again before returning to normal with Jiraiya standing in front of him. "How the heck did I do that, my sensei in the Academy said it was impossible for me to dispel genjutsu."

Jiraiya remained silent as he thought this over himself, "It must be your Rinnegan, when you awakened it, it must have granted you perfect control over your chakra. It seems that your eyes hold many secrets, and you'll have to be the one to discover them. For now though let's finish your test, lesson three: ninjutsu, tell me all of the jutsu you know how to use."

"Let's see, I know the Transformation, the idea behind the Substitution and one weird jutsu I don't even remember learning," said Naruto after a few moments of thought. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that last bit, _'A jutsu he doesn't even remember learning?'_

"Alright gaki, show them to me," no sooner had he finished then was he looking at an exact copy of himself. "Not bad kid, your Transformation's pretty good, now try the Substitution, but don't be disappointed if you don't get it on the first try." Naruto dropped the Transformation and formed the hand seals they were taught in the Academy for the Substitution. Focusing on a nearby rock, Naruto vanished in a poof of smoke only to reappear where the rock once was. _'Incredible, he was able to perform a jutsu he had never tried before with such perfection. Could his eyes have played a part in that?' _Jiraiya thought as Naruto walked back over to him. "Ok kid, now try that one weird jutsu you were talking about."

Naruto closed his eyes to help focus before raising his right hand towards some trees, "Shinra Tensei." The minute the words passed his lips, an unseen force ripped the ground apart before completely uprooting the trees his hand was facing. "Whoa," was all Naruto could say when he saw how much damage his jutsu had done.

Jiraiya was no better, but he managed to recover from surprise much faster than the blonde. _'It looks like he has already unlocked the first of the Paths that the Sage was famous for.' _Deciding to test a theory, Jiraiya turned to the still stunned blonde, "Hey Naruto, think hard on this, where did you learn that jutsu?"

It was a few minutes before Naruto answered his sensei, "Deva Path," he whispered in confusion. Turning to his new sensei Naruto saw a look of understanding on his face, "Sensei what the heck is a Deva Path?"

"According to legend it was one of the Six Paths that the Sage of the Six Paths was said to use. I don't know the names of all of them, but it's safe to assume that when your need is greatest your eyes will unlock the other Paths," said Jiraiya before he turned and motioned for Naruto to follow him back to town. "Alright Naruto, I'm going to head to Konoha tonight so tomorrow I want you to practice with your three jutsu. Transform yourself to look like some of the villagers, but try and do it with only a short glance at them, which will also help increase your observation skills. For your Substitution, work on decreasing the time it takes you to perform them. Your Shinra Tensei however, I want you to work using it with as little chakra as possible. Once you do that for a few hours, meditate in the room until I return, once I'm back your real training will begin."

By the time Jiraiya had finished explaining what he wanted Naruto to do while he was gone, they had made it back to the hotel. Walking into the room they rented, Naruto immediately went to one of the beds and got ready to sleep, wanting all the rest he could get for his training tomorrow. Jiraiya watched all this from the doorway, once he was certain Naruto had fallen asleep he quietly left the room and made his way towards the edge of town. _'Sensei you better have a damn good explanation for this, or I swear Konoha will be down its last Sannin,' _Jiraiya thought before he disappeared in a burst of speed.

_Konohagakure no Sato- The Next Morning_

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, going through the already large pile of paper work that was on his desk. _'Damn you Minato, you just had to go and get yourself killed and leave me to deal with all of this shit!' _thought the Sandaime Hokage as he stamped yet another mission report as a success. "What I wouldn't give for Naruto to barge in right now," he sighed, but nearly had a heart attack when he received a replay.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening ever again." In the blink of an eye, the Hokage was on the other side of the room in full battle gear with four Anbu flanking him. Whoever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't one of Sarutobi's old students.

"Jiraiya, what a pleasant surprise, but must you use the window," the Sandaime said before he dismissed his Anbu and put his Hokage robes back on.

"Cut the crap sensei, I'm not in the mood," said Jiraiya in an uncharacteristically serious voice. Sarutobi was taken aback slightly at the tone in his former student's voice, but quickly adopted a similar look.

"What is it Jiraiya, is this about Orochimaru?"

"No," Jiraiya said before narrowing his eyes in a glare at his former sensei, "It's about you, or more precisely what you've done."

Sarutobi stood for a moment, to stunned by his former pupils response to do anything else. "What I have done? What are you talking about Jiraiya?"

"I'm talking about what you did to Naruto!" said the Toad Sage forcefully causing his sensei to take a step back in shock. Never in the time he had known Jiraiya, had the Sage ever spoken to him in such a voice, but then what the Sage said finally sank in.

"What about Naruto, what's happen to him?" said Sarutobi, his anxiousness rising. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the tone in his sensei's voice, _'He's either better at hiding how he feels then I thought, or maybe he wasn't involved in the attack.'_

"Your shinobi happened sensei. I ran into Naruto as he was leaving the village after being attacked." The Hokage's eyes widened at this revelation, "But that's not all, the group of shinobi that attacked him also killed the ramen chef Teuchi Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame. Naruto managed to escape before they could kill him but not before learning who ordered the attack."

Sarutobi was about to ask who ordered the attack, until he remembered what Jiraiya had said when he first arrived. "You think I ordered the attack on Naruto, that's absurd!" he shouted his anger growing.

"Well at this point sensei, I trust Naruto's word more then I trust yours," said Jiraiya from his place on the windowsill. Sarutobi paused slightly; Jiraiya had always valued his input and always trusted his word, for Jiraiya to trust someone else's word over his was surprising to say the least.

Shaking off his shock, Sarutobi sat down on the couch in his office, "What did Naruto tell you exactly?"

"He told me that five chuunin and one jounin attacked him and the Ichiraku's. He fought hard and managed to escape with relatively few injuries," said Jiraiya, purposely keeping key details of the attack out.

"I see, that explains why three of my shinobi and the Ichiraku's are dead," sighed Sarutobi as he pulled out his pipe and lit it.

"I never mentioned anything about the Ichiraku's or any of your shinobi dying as a result of the attack Sarutobi," said Jiraiya his glare intensifying. Sarutobi merely sighed once again before meeting Jiraiya's glare with a passive expression on his face. Jiraiya couldn't believe what he had just discovered, his sensei, the man he saw as a father figure had ordered for his godson to be assassinated. "Why?" was the only thing the Sage could say as he fought to keep his anger in check.

The Sandaime Hokage puffed his pipe a few times before he answered, "The Elders and Council went over my head Jiraiya, my hands were tied."

"Cut the crap Sarutobi, I saw the bodies of the three dead shinobi, all of them were fiercely loyal to you, they would never have listened to the Council or Elders. Now tell me why!?" shouted Jiraiya, not even attempting to hide his rage anymore.

"You always were well informed Jiraiya," said Sarutobi as he reached into his robes and pulled out a small wooden scroll, "I did it because of this." With a flick of his wrist, the old kage threw the scroll to Jiraiya who caught it with ease.

Opening the scroll caused Jiraiya's eyes to widen in shock, "This…this is," he stuttered while reading over the scroll at a speed that would leave Might Guy dizzy.

"A detailed description of the Rinnegan and a description of how it is activated, some of my Anbu found it while out on a mission. From what I can gather, the scroll was written by the Sage of the Six Paths himself as a message for his successor, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze," said Sarutobi his passive expression never faltering. "I felt it was in the village's best interest for Naruto to awaken the Rinnegan, giving Konoha all three of the Legendary Dojutsu. Imagine Jiraiya, a team with all three dojutsu's would be nearly invincible, given the proper training, a team like that could easily surpass you and the other Sannin."

Said Toad Sannin looked up from the scroll, a look of shock on his face, "You were willing to risk killing Naruto just so he could awaken the Rinnegan? What the hell happened to you sensei, you're not the same man I once considered a father." Jiraiya rolled up the scroll put it back on the desk before standing up and reaching into his red coat. Once again the Anbu made an appearance, not willing to risk Jiraiya pulling out a weapon. They were slightly surprised when he pulled out an old, beaten Konoha headband, all but Sarutobi who recognized the piece of metal as Jiraiya's old headband. All of their eyes widen though when Jiraiya pulled out a kunai and with the skill and precision of a master, slashed strait through the leaf symbol.

"So this is the path you wish to take Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked as he slowly stood up. Jiraiya merely glared at the Hokage, causing his Anbu guard to tense in preparation of a fight.

"Naruto is and will always be my first priority, it's time I start taking my role as the boys godfather seriously. If that means abandoning Konoha, then so be it," said Jiraiya before he dropped a smoke bomb and shot out the window. After the Anbu cleared the smoke with a low level Fuuton jutsu, Sarutobi walked back over to his desk and took a seat.

"Well it seems we have two new rogue ninja to add to the bingo book. Send word that Jiraiya is to be marked as an S-ranked traitor to Konoha with a kill on sight order, but have young Naruto marked as a C-ranked run away with a capture alive order," said the Hokage before he reached for the scroll that Jiraiya had left on the desk. His eye's shot open however when all he found was the surface of his desk, _'So young Naruto did indeed awaken the Rinnegan, that explains why the jounin I sent was found completely crushed. Hmmm this is a most disturbing turn of events, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune who also wields the Rinnegan is destined to become a very dangerous shinobi, but one trained by Jiraiya would be truly frightening. We must get Naruto back into Konoha and convince him to join the village, one way or another.'_

_Tanzaku Gai_

Naruto sat meditating in his room, a light blue aura surrounding his body. _'Jiraiya-sensei was right Kurama, I think my Rinnegan has granted me perfect control over my chakra,' _thought Naruto as he continued to focus on his chakra core.

"**I'm not surprised kit, the Rinnegan holds many mysteries, not even I and the other bijuu know much about it. Sage-jiji never really used it after the nine of us were born," **said Kurama from inside his new seal.

'_Sage-jiji, who's that Kurama?'_

"**The Sage of the Six Paths, the founder of the ninja world, and my Father," **said Kurama as he lay down in his cage, knowing this conversation was going to take a while.

'_What, your father was the founder of the ninja world!?' _thought Naruto in surprise, nearly losing his meditation.

Kurama nodded his head yes, **"Focus kit and yes he was my Father. I talked to him recently, yesterday when you awakened your Rinnegan."**

'_But how, he's dead isn't he?' _Naruto thought as he regained control over his meditation.

Kurama nodded again, **"Yes he is dead, but as he reminded me, he who controls the Rinnegan is above the cycle of life and death. He used the last of his chakra to send his spirit back to this world to grant you his blessings. But before he faded away, he also asked me to do something for him."**

'_Really, what did he ask of you?'_

Kurama took a deep breath before continuing, **"He told me of a great evil hiding in the shadows of this world. Sage-jiji said that unless the nine chosen jinchuuriki fight as one, this world will cease to exist. We must gather the other eight jinchuuriki and only then will we be able to defeat this evil. For now though, focus on your training, you must become stronger if you want to survive long enough to gather the other jinchuuriki."**

'_Well then, I guess I better get stronger as fast as possible,' _with that Naruto cut the mental connection with his tenant and focused back on his meditation.

_Two Hours Later_

Jiraiya walked into the hotel room he and Naruto were staying in with a scowl on his face. _'Why would Sarutobi do something like this? This is the kind of thing I'd expect someone like Danzo to do, not the Sandaime,' _he thought as he looked over to his new apprentice only to have his eyes widen in surprise. Naruto was sitting in the basic lotus position with his hands resting on his knees; there was a blue aura around his body, but what surprised Jiraiya was that Naruto was floating above his bed. _'It must be the gravitational manipulation that is granted by the Deva Path,' _Jiraiya thought, remembering what he had read in the scroll he stole from his former sensei.

"Hey gaki," called Jiraiya, jarring the blonde jinchuuriki from his meditation. Said blonde opened his eyes, revealing his Rinnegan as he slowly floated back down to his bed. Naruto closed his eyes again only this time when he opened them they were his normal sapphire blue. "Do you know how you were doing that?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded his head before speaking, "Yeah, Kurama helped me figure it out."

"Kurama?" asked Jiraiya with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah Kurama, but I guess you would know him better as the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"What!?" shouted Jiraiya, "How do you know about him, and how do you know you can trust him?"

"I found out about him two years ago when a mob of villagers nearly killed me," said Naruto causing Jiraiya to scowl, "After he healed me, he offered to help me train and thanks to him I learned some basic chakra control exercises like tree climbing and water walking."

"I see," said Jiraiya as he thought over what his godson had told him, "But how does he know about the Rinnegan?" Before Naruto could answer, his furry tenant decided to speak up, **"Kit, let me take over for a second to speak to him."** Naruto mentally nodded and his features began to change, his whiskers darkened, his nails lengthened into claws, and his eyes bled to red with a slit pupil.

"**Perhaps it would be better if I explained things personally," **said the Kurama possessed Naruto. Jiraiya, who had been preparing a seal to suppress the demonic chakra, narrowed his eyes at the now feral looking host.

"What have you done with Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, his voice dripping with venom.

Kurama merely raised an eyebrow in response, **"The kit's fine, he can retake control at any moment and before you ask yes the seal is still intact. Naruto just let me have control of his body for a while; it's quite a common occurrence with jinchuuriki actually."**

Jiraiya seemed to accept this and relaxed slightly, though he kept his seal tag out just in case things got hostile. "You said you would explain, explain," said the Toad Sage, his glare still in place.

Kurama closed his eyes thought for a moment, **"Very well, the reason I know about the Rinnegan is because my Father was the original wielder of the Rinnegan."**

Jiraiya looked confused for a moment before his eyes shot open in shock, "Wait, you mean…"

Kurama nodded, **"Yes, my Father was the Sage of the Six Paths. He created my siblings and I by separating the power of the Juubi into nine parts. But let's get back on track; what I know of the Rinnegan is actually very limited. The Sage created us shortly before he passed on and only used the techniques granted to him through the Six Paths, but he did use the power of the Deva Path. Thanks to the gravitational manipulation, the Sage created a prison to seal away the body of the Juubi, the moon."**

Jiraiya's jaw dropped at this, but he quickly recovered, "To any normal person, that story would sound completely ridiculous, but I'm not exactly normal, even by ninja standards. So it's safe to assume that with the awakening of his Rinnegan, Naruto has already unlocked the Deva Path?"

"**Yes, but I don't know when or how he will unlock the other Paths. By the time we were born, Sage-jiji already had a fully developed Rinnegan and he rarely used the Six Paths techniques,"** said Kurama with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I believe this scroll has the answers we need," said Jiraiya as he pulled the wooden scroll out of his coat. "Apparently, the Sage of the Six Paths knew that his successor would one day awaken the Rinnegan and left descriptions of its inner workings."

The Kuramafied Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, **"So that's what Sage-jiji was doing during his last few days of life. It seems that the more we discover about him, the more questions appear. Well I suppose I should let the kit have control back, he's getting a little impatient. Don't worry about training the kit to use my chakra; I'll handle that aspect of his training when he's ready. For now just work on his regular ninja skills, once you feel he's at an acceptable level, ask him what the mission the Sage of the Six Paths gave him is."**

Before Jiraiya had a chance to ask what the Kyuubi meant, Naruto's features had returned to normal. _'Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait to figure out what the Kyuubi meant,' _the Toad Sage thought before addressing his godson. "Alright gaki, before we continue your training, I want you to read this scroll. It will help you understand your Rinnegan better and how to train to use its powers." Tossing the scroll to the young blonde, Jiraiya sat down on his bed and took up the lotus position; only instead his hands were curled into loose fist pushed against each other. "Once you have finished reading the scroll and you feel that you have an understanding of what it is trying to tell you, let me know and we will move on in your training."

Naruto gave his sensei a strange look, but shrugged and settled into a comfortable position. Opening the old scroll with care, Naruto started reading it, only for his eyes to widen at the first few lines.

_To Naruto, my one true heir and successor_

_You are probably wondering who I am and how I know you; well allow me to introduce myself. Though I gave my birth name up years ago, I am known as the Sage of the Six Paths, the founder of the ninja world and as to how I know you; well that is a bit more complicated. You see Naruto, during my time on this Earth I fought against and defeated what is known as the Juubi, the Ten-tailed beast. I could not however, slay the demon so I did the next best thing, I sealed the beast's power and soul within me, making me the first, of what would later become known as, jinchuuriki._

_As the jinchuuriki of the Juubi, I received a small amount of its abilities, one of which allowed me to see brief glimpses of the future. Because of this ability I learned a horrible truth, that darkness would once again spread over this world and destroy it. But as I learned long ago, there is a balance to everything, and so I began trying to find that balance, the light that could destroy the darkness of the world. I searched for years trying to find any hint or trace of what could balance the darkness to come, searching both in the past and the future. My answer came, when I found you Naruto, you are the light that balances the darkness. However, I could not see any farther into the future once you were revealed to be my one true heir. It is because of this that I have left this scroll for you, to help you grow and to hopefully return peace to this world._

_Below is a detailed description of what the __true__ Rinnegan is capable of as well as a special seal of my own design that contains numerous scrolls filled with my knowledge of chakra and all things related to the ninja way. Good luck Naruto and I hope that one day you will be able to defeat the darkness in this world and restore peace. Know that I am forever with you, and will be watching over you from the next world._

_The Sage of the Six Paths_

Though the message was brief, Naruto could tell that the Sage truly believed in him. Holding back the tears that threatened to fall, Naruto unfurled the scroll some more and found the description the Sage had mentioned.

_The Rinnegan is very mysterious dojutsu, in the fact that not even its wielder can understand its true powers. It is only speculation, but seeing as neither of my son's awakened the Rinnegan and everything that happened before I awakened it, I believe that the Rinnegan will only awaken in times of great distress. Who it awakens in however, or how they are related remains a mystery to me, though it is possible that I was the originator of the dojutsu and you, Naruto may be a distant descendant of mine. During my travels, I faced many hardships that pushed me to my utter breaking point of sanity; I believe these hardships were a test, a test to see whether I would be what the people call a "God of Creation" or the "Destroyer."_

_When it first awakens, the Rinnegan with turn its users eyes into a metallic purple with a dot like pupil and one concentric ring around the pupil. This represents the first level of Rinnegan; this level grants the user the power to wield all five types of nature transformations. Along with the nature transformation, the first level of Rinnegan also unlocks the first of the Six Paths techniques, the Deva Path and Animal Path. With the Deva Path comes the ability to use gravitational manipulation to attract or repel objects. The Animal Path is a little less complicated; this path allows one to summon any creature that you can imagine, giving you a near limitless amount of animal summons to fight alongside you._

_With the second level of the Rinnegan, a second concentric ring will appear around the pupil. With the activation of the second level of the Rinnegan, the wielder is granted the ability to combine the five basic nature transformations in order to form the advanced chakra natures, such as Mokuton, Hyoton, Shoton and so on and so worth. It also awakens the next two Paths, the Human Path and the Preta Path. The Human Path grants the user the ability to touch a person's very soul, and should the need arise; rip their soul from their body. This Path also has a second ability, simply by placing your hand on your targets head, you can read every thought they have ever had, see every memory they've experienced and learn everything they have ever learned. The Preta Path is more of a supportive and defensive technique, this Path allows one to adsorb chakra into their body and add to their own core._

_The third level of the Rinnegan, following the pattern of the other levels, adds a third concentric ring around the pupil. With the activation of the third level, the Rinnegan grants its wielder the ability to wield the, in your time extinct, Hiton and Meiton styles of ninjutsu. This level will also complete the Six Paths set of techniques by unlocking the Asura Path and the Naraka Path. Even as I write this, I cringe at the effects of the Asura Path, I never quite got used to the sensation but maybe you will. The Asura Path allows the user to augment their body with mechanized armor, extra limbs and other various robotic weapons. The Naraka Path is the only true supportive Path in the Rinnegan's arsenal. It allows you to summon the King of Hell to interrogate a target by judging whether they are lying or not. Should the victim lie, the King of Hell will suck out their life force, but should they speak the truth, they will be spared. Also, this Path is considered the medic of the Six Paths techniques since you can heal any wound, no matter how severe in seconds and revive the fallen so long as they have not been dead more than twelve hours._

_Though I am known as the Sage of the Six Paths, I have kept a secret from the rest of the world. There is a Seventh Path, the Outer Path. This Path can only be obtained by achieving the fourth and final level of the Rinnegan. Though its power is great, the cost is heavy; to achieve the final level you must be betrayed by someone close to your heart. I pray you never have to know this pain, but I fear that you will, so I will tell you of the Outer Paths abilities. The Outer Path grants one the ability to control life and death through the use of two jutsu, the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu and the Outer Path: Samsara of Hell's Judgment Jutsu. With the Heavenly Life Jutsu, one can return the souls the deceased to the world of the living, so long as their body is still intact. The Hell's Judgment on the other hand, can steal the souls of the victims from them, much like the Human Path though on a grander scale, and seal them away inside the King of Hell for all eternity._

_While I deemed it necessary to help you understand the Rinnegan better, I will not tell you everything. Learning things for yourself is how one grows, and I wish you luck Naruto in discovering the things I have not told you. I know you will not let me down, and I look forward to the day we can speak face to face, though I hope it is not for a very long time._

Naruto sat wide eyed at what the Rinnegan was capable of, but what shocked the most was the power of the Outer Path. _'You must be betrayed by someone close to your heart to achieve this power. Sorry Sage-jiji, your fears where right, I have felt that pain. But then why don't I have the fourth level if I have already experienced the pain of betrayal?'_

"**I don't know kit, the Rinnegan works in mysterious ways, so much so that not even Sage-jiji himself knew all of its abilities. But I can speculate, it's possible that to achieve the final level and awaken the Outer Path, you must first master the Six Paths, or it's possible that that old fool of kage wasn't close enough to your heart for you to experience the pain Sage-jiji was talking about," **said Kurama as he read the scroll through Naruto's eyes. _'You might be right Kurama, but only time will tell I suppose,' _thought Naruto before he unrolled the scroll even more and found a complex sealing array. _'This must be the seal he mentioned.' _Naruto slowly placed his hand over the seal, nothing happened so he tried channeling some of his chakra into it, but still nothing happened. _'What the hell, why can't I undo the seal?'_ Naruto thought, his frustration evident.

"**Kit, Sage-jiji said he personally designed that seal to contain all of his knowledge that he wanted to pass on to you. Do you honestly think he wouldn't set up a number of precautions to make sure no one else could access the knowledge?"**

Naruto outwardly sighed, but nodded in agreement nonetheless, _'You probably right Kurama; well I guess it's time to wake up Jiraiya-sensei.' _"Jiraiya-sensei, I've finished the scroll, now what do we do?"

Jiraiya made no outward signs that had heard Naruto, but just as the blonde was about to throw a pillow at him, he cracked one eye open, "So you did finish, very well then, we'll continue your training in little while. For now, meditate, try and draw on your gravitational powers again, but this time without Kurama's help." With that, Jiraiya closed his eye and continued his own meditation while Naruto just sighed and mumbled something about 'lazy sensei's' before resuming his meditative pose and followed his sensei's instructions.

The hours passed slowly for the two meditating shinobi. Naruto had a little difficulty in accessing his gravitational powers but eventually he was able to use the manipulation and began levitating above his bed, just as Jiraiya had found him. Jiraiya on the other hand had used the time to gather a small amount of senjutsu chakra, enough that he could since the things around him but not enough for him to lose control and change into a frog. Using the abilities of senjutsu, he was able to monitor his new student's progress while at the same time scouting the area for any potential threats. _'Hmm, so I was right, the Rinnegan has given him perfect control over his chakra, despite his large reserves. It also seems that whenever he uses his gravitational manipulation his Rinnegan subconsciously activates, could that be a type of natural defense?' _the Toad Sage continued to ponder over the possibilities while he changed his attention to the town and surrounding forests. _'Everything looks clear, the only chakra signatures around that are above civilian level are two shinobi that are hanging out in a bar if I remember correctly. It should be safe to train the kid here for a few days before moving on, the less attention we bring the better.'_

Jiraiya released the senjutsu chakra he had gathered and opened his eyes to see his young charge levitating over his bed. _'Well, looks like it's time to another gaki,' _"Hey, Naruto, wake up!" he said while throwing a pillow at the blonde. To his surprise, the pillow stopped mere inches from the blondes face and just hung in midair. _'Well that's unexpected, looks like he can create a gravitational field around him using his Deva Path, that could come in handy during a fight,' _thought Jiraiya as Naruto slowly lowered himself back to his bed and threw the pillow back at him. Swatting the pillow away like a fly, the Toad Sage addressed the young blonde, "So you ready to continue on with your training gaki?"

Naruto didn't hesitate in his response, "Yes Jiraiya-sensei." Said Sannin couldn't help but smirk at being called sensei again, he honestly missed the feeling.

"Alright then, lets head into the forest and we'll begin." With that the two quickly left town and found themselves in the same clearing as before. Jiraiya turned to Naruto who was standing calmly in front of him, though his eyes betrayed his excitement. Smirking, Jiraiya quickly decided what they would start with, "Ok Naruto, since you already have perfect chakra control thanks to your Rinnegan, we can skip that portion of your training. So to start with I'll teach you a few low level jutsu you can practice with." Naruto nodded in understanding, his Rinnegan still activated from his meditation. He watched as Jiraiya went through a few hand seals, ending with the tiger. His eyes widened though, when he realized he could see the way the chakra was moving inside his sensei as he prepared the jutsu. He was brought out of his stupor by the sound of his sensei's voice, "Katon: Fireball Jutsu."

Jiraiya put his right hand up to his mouth and launched a medium sized ball of fire of a nearby tree, destroying it with ease. "Alright Naruto, let see what you got," Jiraiya said as he showed the blonde the hand seals for the jutsu. Nodding in understanding, Naruto slowly went through the hand seals while moving his chakra the same way Jiraiya's had.

With a cry of "Katon: Fireball Jutsu," Naruto launched a ball of fire the same size as Jiraiya's at the tree, incinerating it. Naruto ended the jutsu and turned to his sensei to see how he did, only to be met with the shocked face of the Toad Sage. "Uhh sensei, hello earth to sensei, anybody home?"

Jiraiya just stood there, starring at where the tree once stood, _'Impossible, even with the perfect chakra control granted by the Rinnegan, there's no way he should have been able to use a jutsu like that after only seeing it once!' _The Toad Sage's thoughts continued to run rampant as he tried to figure out exactly how Naruto had managed to perform the jutsu almost flawlessly. _'Wait a minute, according to the description the Sage left in the scroll, he purposely left certain aspect of the Rinnegan out because he wanted Naruto to learn them for himself. Is it possible that the Rinnegan has a similar ability to the Sharingan?' _Finally managing to get over his shock, Jiraiya turned his gaze to the blonde who had destroyed three more trees while he waited. "Naruto," said the Toad Sage, catching the blonde's attention.

"Yeah sensei?" Naruto asked as he walked back over to Jiraiya.

"When I was showing you the jutsu, what exactly did you see?"

Naruto thought for a moment before answering the question, "Well, while you were going through the hand signs for the jutsu I saw the way your chakra was moving. When I tried it for myself, I moved my chakra the same way I saw yours move and boom, giant fireball."

'_It's not the same, but still it's similar to the Sharingan. He can see how the chakra moves inside the body for a jutsu but when he does it himself, it doesn't move the chakra for him, he has to do it himself. Still that is a major advantage both in battle and in training,' _thought Jiraiya. Returning his attention to his student, he motioned for him to get behind him, "I'm going to show you another jutsu Naruto, this time one for Doton." Naruto nodded while he watched his sensei's chakra move to form the jutsu. Jiraiya ended the chain of hand seals in the snake seal, "Doton: Earth Wall." Slamming his hands on the ground, a six foot wall of earth rose from the ground in front of Jiraiya. "As you can probably tell, this jutsu is a defensive type. This way you have a defensive and an offensive jutsu in your arsenal, I won't teach you any more however until you have mastered these two, understand?"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said before he began practicing with his two jutsu, destroying a good portion of the clearing they were in. Jiraiya watched all of this with a smirk on his face, _'He truly is your son Minato, and it seems that he inherited more than just your looks. Because of his heritage alone, his potential was already great, but now that he has the Rinnegan along with the Kyuubi and myself training him, I'm almost afraid of how powerful he'll become.' _Jiraiya felt a chill run down his spine at that thought, but it only caused his smirk to widen, _'But I suppose the anticipation of what your student will become is half the fun of being a sensei.'_

**Well there it is, I hope everybody enjoyed it. Please review, it helps to motivate me to update faster and to continue on with a story.**

**Well until next time then.  
**

**BSW  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing.  
**

**Chapter 3- An Impossible Mission**

_Konohagakure- Hokage Tower_

The Sandaime Hokage sat behind his desk, completely ignoring the massive pile of paperwork his assistant had just brought in. He was lost in his thoughts about what to do now that Jiraiya had abandoned the village and was now training Naruto. _'Jiraiya is too powerful for any of my current ninja to kill one on one, and even if I were to send my best jounin and Anbu after him it would only result in their deaths. Also it would be pointless to try and track them, Jiraiya being the spy master he is, knows better than anyone how to cover his tracks. ' _The so called 'Professor' sat in silence for a little while longer before a knock on his door brought his attention back to the present. "Enter," he said in the most commanding voice he could muster with his thoughts in the state they were.

The door opened and allowed a man the same age as Sarutobi into the office. The man had grey hair as well as a beard of the same color and glasses on the bridge of his nose. His strong jaw line was made even more prominent with the frown that seemed to be permanently etched on his face. His attire was very similar to Sarutobi's own, the only difference being instead of his robe being red with a white coat over it; his was a dark blue with a tan coat. He also had a white cloth wrapped around his shoulders that hid his neck from view.

Following the man was a woman of similar age; her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun with a traditional Japanese hair pin holding it in place with fringes hanging down over her forehead. She wore a grey kimono held together by a simple obi with a dark green jacket and a sash over her left shoulder that went down to her right hip. Her eyes were squinted in her old age, giving her a permanent and intimidating glare.

The last one to enter was another man the same age as the three already in the room. He was a frail old man and he used a cane to help him walk, but if one looked close enough they would notice he could walk perfectly fine without it. His shaggy black hair was a strong contrast to the white bandages that were wrapped over his right eye. He had a frown on his face, a trait the three seemed to share, that made the unusual X shaped scar on his chin more prominent. He wore a dark gray robe over a white shirt that stopped just above his right shoulder, partially concealing his bandaged right arm that was in a sling. His only visible eye was squinted shut, but seemed to look at everything in sight with a hawk like gaze.

These three were none other than Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and Danzo Shimura, the three Elders of Konoha.

Homura stepped forward, his tone betraying his curiosity, "Why have you called us, Sarutobi?"

Sarutobi looked each of them in the eye before sighing and motioning for them to take a seat in front of his desk. Once the three were seated, Sarutobi began what he knew would be a long conversation, "I have called you here to discuss a matter of great importance. One year ago, one of my Anbu teams returned from a mission in the Land of Mountains with a scroll. According to them, they found the scroll hidden in a shrine atop one of the mountains being guarded by surprisingly talented Warrior Monks. When they returned with the scroll I was the first person to read it, only to receive the shock of my lifetime."

The Elders eyebrows rose slightly at this little piece of information. The four of them had lived through all three of the Shinobi World Wars, having fought in the First and commanding the village through the Second and Third. Living through those times had hardened them to the point where not much could truly shock them, but when something did, it usually meant trouble was very close on the horizon. Sarutobi was especially immune to surprises, being the Hokage during times of war tended to make one expect almost everything. The three Elders once again glanced at each other, but this time if one looked carefully they would see the growing fear in their eyes.

"The scroll you see, was a message left behind by the Sage of the Six Paths himself for his one true heir," before Sarutobi could continue he was interrupted by a completely shocked Koharu.

"Heir? Are you saying that the Sage of the Six Paths somehow knew he would one day have an heir?"

"Yes Koharu, and not only was this person his heir, the Sage also called him his successor."

This time it was Danzo who couldn't keep quiet, "A successor, you can't mean…"

"I do Danzo," Sarutobi interrupted his old rival, "Someone who would one day become his equal, and maybe even surpass him in power and skill. But that is not the most shocking news."

"What the hell could be more shocking then discovering that the Sage of the Six Paths would have an heir?" asked an incredulous Homura, thinking things couldn't possibly get any more surprising than they already had.

Sarutobi looked his old team mate dead in the eye, "Perhaps it was the fact that the heir the Sage spoke of resided here in this very village." The Elders couldn't help but gape at this newest piece of information. Not only had the Sage had an heir, but that person was living in Konoha? It was almost too good to be true!

"We must find this person at once; we cannot let such a potentially powerful person to slip through our fingers!" Not surprisingly it was Danzo who spoke up, he always was the more militaristic one of the four of them. Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement with their fellow Elder, letting someone like that out of their sight could be disastrous for the village.

The Sandaime sighed; he knew this part was going to cause him a serious headache, "I'm afraid you're too late, I already know who the person is, but getting him under our control will not be an easy feet." The Elders stopped the small planning session they were having and turned suspicious eyes to the Hokage. "The heir the Sage spoke of in his message was none other than Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

"WHAT!?" shouted the three retired ninja as they tried to wrap their minds around what Sarutobi had just said. Naruto Uzumaki, the village pariah, was the one true heir of the Sage of the Six Paths, the man who founded the ninja world? It just wasn't possible! From what they had read about the boy in his Academy file was that he was almost useless as a shinobi. His taijutsu was very below average, his genjutsu was nonexistent and his ninjutsu was horrible! How was it that someone with no skill what so ever could possibly be the heir to the most powerful shinobi ever to walk the earth?

"Yes, the scroll also explained in detail about the Rinnegan and how it was awakened. I sent a team of shinobi to complete the task and force Naruto to awaken the Rinnegan, giving us all three of the Legendary Dojutsu at our disposal. Unfortunately, circumstances occurred that caused a small problem. It seems the jounin I put in charge of the mission blabbed that I was the one who ordered the attack, causing Naruto to flee the village." The Sandaime finished with a sigh, already preparing for the tongue lashing his advisors were about to deliver, and they didn't disappoint.

"What, you let that boy flee knowing who he was? Are you insane Sarutobi, if any of the other villages were to get their hands on him…" trailed off Homura, not even wanting to think of what could happen if a village like Iwagakure got their hands on Naruto.

"Homura is right Sarutobi; we cannot allow any other village to find out who Naruto truly is! We must bring the boy back inside the walls of Konoha for the villages own good," Koharu said, her frown deepening as her thoughts drifted into ones similar to Homura's.

"This is not something that we can ignore Sarutobi, we need to send out teams to find the boy immediately and bring him back to the village. Once he has been returned, he must be trained to be a loyal follower to the village to prevent something like this from ever happening again!" Danzo said his anger visible in his lone eye.

"I know, however it is not as simple as that," the Hokage said cutting off the Elders before they could get too far into their rant. "Jiraiya, the boy's godfather, found him shortly after he left the village. It seems Naruto told Jiraiya everything that happened to him and Jiraiya was less than pleased to say the least. He was angry enough over what happened to Naruto that he has abandoned the village to become a rogue ninja." The Elders stiffened at this, Jiraiya was by far the most powerful shinobi that Konoha had at its disposal after the treason of Orochimaru and Tsunade's leaving. They also knew that sending teams after Naruto would be nothing short of suicide as Jiraiya could probably take on half of their current available ninja at once, and win. "As you know, trying anything to get Naruto back now would be extremely risky with Jiraiya around. The only course of action available to us is to bide our time and wait for an opening to present itself."

The Elders could only nod in agreement, they may not have liked the idea, but it was the only one available to them that didn't result in the massacre of hundreds of their ninja forces. "Very well, we shall wait and make our move when the time is right, but until that time comes we need to prepare for anything and everything," Danzo said, getting nods of agreement from everyone else in the room. "Even if there was only one technically loyal to the village, the Sannin were, and have always been a deterrent to the other villages to prevent war. When word gets out that all three Sannin have abandoned Konoha, other villages might be tempted to make a play for power."

"Danzo is right; we must be prepared for anything that might happen in the future. For now though, we shall retake control of the Ninja Academy and up the curriculum, we will need more powerful ninja at our disposal when the time comes to make our move and help prevent war, and the best place to start is at the bottom," said Sarutobi as he took out a sheet of paper and a pen and began writing orders out. "It is time that our ninja's skill should reflect our title as 'The Strongest of the Five.' Homura and Koharu, send word to all of our forces that there will be an emergency meeting in exactly two hours. Danzo, I am officially reactivating your Root Anbu program, I know that you have some young children already in there so send them to the Academy to train with their peers. Also, send word to the Academy that they are to implement these changes at once, and anyone who tries to argue with these orders is to be killed on the spot. As far as I'm concerned, we are now in a state of war and we will prepare as such."

The three Elders nodded in understanding and quickly left the office to complete their assigned task. Sarutobi sat back in his chair and glanced over at a picture he kept on the edge of his desk. It was a picture of his genin team when they were first formed. The Sandaime frowned at the sight of the picture before he pushed it off his desk watched as it cracked of the floor. _'It seems that all three of my former students have abandoned the village now. No matter, they can be dealt with in time, and then all three of them will pay the consequences for abandoning Konoha,' _thought Sarutobi as he got back to work, but not without one last glance at the now broken picture. The glass had cracked in three places, each crack going through the face of one of his students.

_Time skip- One Year Later_

Jiraiya stood in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by the dense forest of the Land of Woods. He remained unmoving for a few more minutes before a shift in the wind caught his attention. Spinning around, he raised his arms just in time to block a kick to the head from a black blur. Pushing the assailant back, Jiraiya took a moment to observe the person.

The assailant flipped twice in midair before landing in a crouch a few yards away. Baggy black cargo pants led up to a black skin tight sleeveless shirt that displayed the person's developing chest, black sandals completed the outfit. A mop of spiky blonde hair rested on top of the attackers head while three whisker-like marks stood out prominently on his cheeks. The attacker was none other than a nine year old Naruto Uzumaki.

Jiraiya smirked when he saw the small frown growing on his godson's face, "Not bad gaki, your stealth has improved since the last time we sparred, though you're still nowhere near good enough to get the drop on me." Naruto's frown, which had started to turn into a smile at his sensei's compliment, was back in full force. Seeing an opening in Jiraiya's guard the blonde shinobi shot forward and attempted to deliver a left hook to the Toad Sage's ribcage. Naruto smirked when his punch met its mark only for his eyes to widen when the 'Jiraiya' he punched disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Caught off guard by the fact he was fighting a clone, Naruto was completely unprepared for the palm to the back that sent him sprawling. Deciding to take things up a notch, Naruto used the momentum from the palm strike to roll into a hand stand and flip backwards a few times before finally landing on his feet. Going through hand seals and ending with the tiger seal, Naruto jumped into the air and brought his right hand up to his mouth. "Katon: Fireball Jutsu," taking a deep breath, the young blonde launched a medium sized ball of fire at his sensei.

Seeing the approaching threat, Jiraiya flashed through hand signs of his own and ended with the snake seal. "Doton: Earth Wall," slamming his hands of the ground, a wall of earth rose just in time to block the attack. Releasing his jutsu, Jiraiya jumped up to meet the falling Naruto and delivered a sharp knee to the boy's chest.

Gasping for breath, Naruto could do little more than grab ahold of his sensei's arm to keep from falling to the unforgiving ground below. Seeing his student unable to keep his balance and control, Jiraiya flung him over his shoulder and landing softly on the ground. Setting his student down, Jiraiya waited for him to get his breathing back under control. "You've definitely improved Naruto, but you're becoming predictable again. You're relying too heavily on your elemental jutsu; you need to start using your Rinnegan and the Paths you've already unlocked more. I understand wanting to keep those abilities secret, but they won't do you any good to keep them secret if you don't know how to use them effectively in combat."

"I know Jiraiya-sensei, but you also said I needed to work on my skills in deception," said Naruto not facing his sensei. Jiraiya's eyes widened at the tone in his students voice but before he could react, said blonde spun around with his Rinnegan glowing slightly. "Shinra Tensei," said the Kyuubi jinchuuriki as he watched his sensei get blasted back by the invisible force of gravity.

'_Why that little bastard,' _cursed Jiraiya as he crashed into a few trees before coming to a stop at the edge of the now expanded clearing. Slowly getting to his feet, the Toad Sage cursed under his breath as he felt multiple joints popping back into place. Sensing his student approaching he managed to lift his head enough to see the smirking face of his nine year old student. "Damn it gaki, I hate it when you do that."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a look, "You're the one who said I needed to learn to use my Paths effectively in combat, so quit complaining."

"Oh shut up," rasped Jiraiya as he shakily made it to his feet, "I think that's enough for today anyway, we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves by altering the landscape."

Naruto nodded in agreement, but couldn't help the question that slipped out, "If you didn't want to bring attention to us, then why did you insist we come to the Land of Woods? This country was the birthplace of the Senju clan and has strong ties to Konoha, so a Konoha ninja could pop up almost anywhere."

Jiraiya just rolled his eyes, but couldn't fault his student's logic, "True this country has strong ties to Konoha, but it's also the home of one my secret hideouts."

"You have a secret hideout?" asked Naruto incredulously with a raised eyebrow.

Jiraiya glared at his student in mock indignation, "What, do you honestly believe I became a spy master without having a hideout or two lying around in case of emergencies?" Naruto had the decency to look slightly sheepish for not thinking about that before. Shaking his head in exasperation, Jiraiya motioned for Naruto to follow him as they made their way deeper into the forests of the Land of Woods. They traveled in silence for a few hours as they continued to make their way into the deeper and darker parts of the forest. Eventually they stopped at the base of a large tree but before Naruto could question his sensei, Jiraiya jumped up into the thick canopy above. Cursing his sensei silently, Naruto quickly followed by running up the tree with chakra.

Surprisingly, instead of thick, hard branches like he was expecting, Naruto found himself standing in the middle of what appeared to be large tree house. Taking a closer look, he noticed that it wasn't an actual tree house, but an open space with a wooden floor that spanned out to multiple surrounding trees. There was no actual roof above him, just the unnaturally thick canopy he had been expecting to run into on his way up. Returning his attention to the area around him, Naruto noticed several large monitors that were hanging on the side of one of the tree trunks with a large semicircle couch in front of them. In the center of the couch seemed to be a fire pit of some kind which he guessed was for cooking meals. There were also several large pieces of cloth draped over openings towards the back which most likely lead into bedrooms of some kind.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his sensei's voice, "Well gaki, what do you think of our new home?" The young blonde took a few more moments to take in his surroundings before turning to his sensei with a small smirk on his face.

"Not bad sensei, though how is it a secret hideout exactly, anyone who climbs any of these trees will be able to find it."

Jiraiya only smirked as he had been expecting that very question, "No, they can't, this place is hidden by an extremely advanced, and nigh undetectable genjutsu. Only those with blessed eyes can hope to find it, and even then only those whose blood is keyed in to the security seals can access it."

"But wait, you're not that great at genjutsu sensei, so how is it there is such an advanced genjutsu protecting this place?" the blonde jinchuuriki asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"True I may not be the best at genjutsu, but I am a seal master. I created a seal that would temporarily place someone under my control and erase all their memories of whatever it is they did while under my control when the seal was released," Jiraiya said with pride while Naruto just gaped at him, "I placed the seal on Tsunade and had her apply a genjutsu similar to the one she uses on herself to hide this place."

Naruto merely starred at his sensei in wonder; to have such a seal at his disposal was invaluable. But then another thought stroke him, "You realize sensei, that if what you have told me of Tsunade is anything to go by, if she were ever to find out about that fact she would probably jump to conclusions and kill you, right?" Jiraiya's only response was to pale slightly, but quickly shook it off as he moved over to the monitors.

"Anyway, we'll use this place as our base of operations for the foreseeable future, unless circumstances demand we abandon it. For now though, get some sleep, cause tomorrow we'll be making plans on what we have to do in the coming years," said Jiraiya as he sat down on the couch and turned on the monitors, showing live and recorded camera feed from inside Konohagakure no Sato.

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning sensei, night," said Naruto with a slight yawn as he made his way to one of the cloth covered openings.

"Night gaki," Jiraiya said over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the monitors, specifically the two showing the live and recorded footage from the Hokage's office. _'Time to see what that traitorous sensei of mine has been up to lately.'_

_The Next Morning_

Naruto and Jiraiya sat across from one another on the couch in front of the monitors, each monitor showing footage from one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Naruto was focusing on the meat that was cooking over the fire pit, occasionally flipping a piece so it wasn't over cooked. Jiraiya though, was focusing solely on the monitors, when he saw the recorded footage of Sarutobi having a meeting with the three Elders of Konoha and what they talked about; he had been keeping a critical eye on the villages. "Hey Jiraiya-sensei, breakfast is ready," Naruto said, bringing his sensei's attention away from the monitors.

Jiraiya smiled as he accepted the plate his student was offering him, "Thanks gaki, you're a way better cook then I ever was." Popping one of the pieces of meat into his mouth, Jiraiya returned his attention to the monitors not wanting to miss even the slightest hint that there might be war.

Naruto looked up from his own meal and noticed Jiraiya had barely even touched his, "Hey sensei, is something wrong?"

Jiraiya glanced over at Naruto before turning back to the monitors, "I'm not sure Naruto, and that's what has me worried." Sighing the Toad Sage turned away from the monitors and began to eat his almost forgotten meal.

"What do you mean sensei?"

Putting his plate down, Jiraiya turned serious eyes to his student, "Last night, I watched a recorded meeting between Sarutobi and the village elders. It seems that for the past year or so, they have been making some drastic changes to the village and the ninja there. They have upped the curriculum at the Academy to increase the quality of their future ninja and they have also been training their active shinobi as well. It seems that with my departing, they fear that the other villages will see this as an opportunity to attack."

Naruto's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "So you're worried that another village may attack Konoha, is that what's got you so worked up?"

"No, it's not that," said Jiraiya with a glance at the monitors, "It's what might happen should another village try and attack Konoha. I fear that it may trigger another war and make our lives that much more difficult."

"How would a war make our lives harder, it's not like we'll be fighting in it," said Naruto his confusion growing.

Jiraiya sighed again before continuing, "It would make our lives harder because during times of war everyone, ninja and civilian alike, is very weary of outsiders and travelers. The civilians because they have no way of knowing if a person is who they say they are and the ninja because it could be a potential enemy of some kind. Also during war, some villages will hire or seek out wandering ninja and mercenaries to aid them, and with me being who I am, I'd be a prime target for those villages."

Naruto nodded, understanding why his sensei was so intent on keeping an eye on the villages. The two continued to eat in silence after that before a thought stroke him, "Hey sensei, if the villages are willing to waste resources on mercenaries and wandering ninja, do you think they'd use them to find stuff like weapons?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Yes, in fact they would probably go after weapons or objects that would help them in a war more than they would wandering ninja or mercenaries. That is because getting their hands on something is usually easier than recruiting a ninja; why do you ask?"

Naruto looked hesitant to respond and that set off alarms inside Jiraiya's mind. _'Naruto is usually outspoken and doesn't think before he speaks, what could possibly make him hesitate in voicing his thoughts?' _thought the Toad Sage before he remembered the conversation he had with Kurama a year ago. _'Could it have something to do with that mission Kurama spoke of?'_

Naruto took a shaky breath before finally answering his sensei's question, "Would jinchuuriki be included in that as well?" at Jiraiya's nod, he continued, "Then we have to move soon, if a war does break out it will make my mission that much harder."

"You're talking about that mission Kurama mentioned a year ago, right?" Naruto nodded the affirmative bringing a thoughtful look to Jiraiya's face. _'A mission involving the jinchuuriki, what the hell could he have to do?' _Jiraiya pondered things for a moment before his eyes shot open, causing Naruto to flinched back slightly. _'He couldn't possibly be considering gathering all the jinchuuriki together could he?' _"Naruto, what do you have to do that involves the jinchuuriki?"

"I have to bring them together so that the nine of us can fight together against a darkness that is hiding in the shadows of this world. Only when the nine of us fight together can we stand a chance of defeating this evil." This made Jiraiya frown slightly as he thought this over, _'A mission of this caliber would easily be considered SSS-rank by a village's standards, but what could this darkness he mentioned be? I'll have to let me spy network know to keep an eye and ear open for anything that might be related to this threat. Oh well, I always did enjoy a challenge.' _Outwardly a smirk began spreading across Jiraiya's face as he continued to think things over.

"Alright gaki, sense it seems this mission was given to you by the Sage of the Six Paths himself, it must be of great importance. Now the first place to start is to locate the other jinchuuriki, and to do that we'll need my spy network. I'll send word out for them to start looking for any information that could relate to the jinchuuriki," said Jiraiya as he got up and walked over to one of the many flaps that covered an opening in the hideout. Naruto quickly followed after his sensei and had to control his surprise at what he found in the room.

The whole room was covered in seals. A large seal matrix was drawn in the center of the room where Jiraiya was currently sitting and a large map of the elemental nations lined an entire wall, with seals and locations listed all over it. Some of the seals were glowing a feint red while others weren't doing anything. Naruto's attention was torn from the room when the seal matrix Jiraiya was sitting in the middle of started glowing the same feint red as the seals on the map. Slowly, one by one the seals on the map began to dim and return to normal, and after the last seal had faded Jiraiya stood up from the seal matrix and motioned for Naruto follow him back into the main area.

"What the hell was that sensei?" asked a completely astonished Naruto.

Jiraiya couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he turned to his student, "That Naruto, is one of my greatest creations in the art of fuinjutsu. It is based on the same principle as the Yamanaka clans mind jutsu, but on a much larger scale. You see Naruto; I can't always be there in person when one of my informants has something important they need me to know. So I designed a seal that could be placed on my informants that would allow them to transfer whatever it is they need me to know into that room we were just in. When they do this, the seal that is linked to theirs will glow, indicating a new message and by sitting in the middle of that seal matrix, I am able to absorb whatever knowledge they send to me."

Naruto, for the first time in his life, was speechless. What his sensei had just told him seemed almost impossible, and to an average civilian, it was impossible! But as Naruto was quickly learning, in the world of ninja, always expect the unexpected. Finally finding his voice, Naruto said the first thing that came to mind, "That is so cool Jiraiya-sensei, you are so teaching me that later on!" Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down Naruto looked at his sensei with a question on his face, "So what all did you learn sensei?"

Hearing the question, Jiraiya's expression turned serious again as he and Naruto sat back down on the couch. "Actually Naruto, I got a possible lead on one of the other jinchuuriki." Naruto's eyes snapped up to meet his sensei, all traces of his earlier excitement gone. "From what my informant can gather, the jinchuuriki lives in Sunagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Sand. According to the stories that the Sandaime used to tell my team growing up, during his reign of the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju gained control over all nine of the bijuu thanks to his unique Mokuton abilities. Shortly after Konohagakure was founded, Hashirama spread the bijuu around to other sprouting villages in an attempt to equalize power. If I'm not mistaken, he gave the Ichibi to Sunagakure because of its ability to manipulate sand."

Naruto nodded slightly in understanding before turning to the monitor displaying Sunagakure, "So Shukaku is in Suna, that's at least a couple of day's journey from here at my top speed, which isn't much."

Jiraiya nodded, picking up a controller and turning on other monitors, showing different locations inside Sunagakure. "True, but that is if we go by foot. I think this would be a good time to test out summoning a larger creature through your Animal Path, but we can worry about getting there later. First we need to try and piece together an identity of who the jinchuuriki might be. From what my informant gathered, it is a young boy around your age, and judging by what some of the people he talked to said about the jinchuuriki it's obvious he isn't accepted."

"Then we need to hurry and get him out of Suna as soon as possible. I will not let one of my brother's suffer the same treatment I did," Naruto said, a quite rage building inside him as he remembered his life in Konoha. **"Calm down kit, getting angry want do anything for us right now,"** said the voice of Kurama. Naruto was surprised to hear the kitsune's voice since he been strangely quiet for a while. _'Your right Kurama, but what's been up lately, you haven't said much since we passed through the Land of Waterfalls a month back?'_

"**Yeah, sorry about that, I've been thinking about something I felt while we were in that country."**

'_Really, what is it?'_

"**I wasn't sure at first, but now I know for certain, it was my brother Choumei. I felt his presence, but it was diluted, which explains why it took me so long to recognize it. He is inside a jinchuuriki, but the seal holding him is suppressing most of his power." **Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, they had been so close to one of his sibling jinchuuriki and they didn't even know it!

"Jiraiya-sensei, we have a lead on another one of the jinchuuriki," said Naruto coming back to the present. Said Sage looked at his student in surprise, but quickly shook off, simply passing it off as a jinchuuriki thing.

"What do you have gaki?"

"The Nanabi no Kabutomushi, it is sealed inside a jinchuuriki in Takigakure. Kurama said he felt a presence there when we passed through it a month ago but couldn't tell from what. Apparently the seal holding Choumei, the Nanabi, is suppressing most of its power and keeping him from interacting with his jinchuuriki."

Jiraiya placed his hand under his chin in concentration, "Hmmm, you're probably right cause if I'm not mistaken, the Shodai gave the Nanabi to Taki as a sign of good faith. Alright then, we now know the location of two of the jinchuuriki, but the question is, which one do we go after first?"

"Shukaku's jinchuuriki, from what Kurama told me, he always was the most bloodthirsty and impulsive of the bijuu. Suna isn't known for its fuinjutsu expertise so it's extremely possible that whatever seal is holding Shukaku isn't up to standard, and his personality may influence his host. If that's the case, we need to get him out as soon as possible and you need to improve his seal." Jiraiya nodded in agreement, he may not have had a giant fox in his gut telling him about its siblings, but he had heard the legends of Shukaku's previous jinchuuriki.

"Alright gaki, you're right about Suna and their skills in fuinjutsu, so it's probably best to get them out first," said Jiraiya as he nodded to himself, "We'll leave in a week, that will give me time to work on a better seal for the jinchuuriki and give you time to hone your skills more. Now before we do anything else, I want to work with you on summoning a larger creature with your Animal Path. You have been able to summon numerous animals up to the size of a large bear, but nothing bigger. Naruto, if you were ever to get into a fight with someone who is capable of summoning something the size of, say Gamabunta, you would be easily defeated."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I know sensei, but for some reason I just can't find the strength in me to summon something that size." Jiraiya closed his eyes as he contemplated this; this was a constant problem they kept running into whenever Naruto tried to summon something larger. They knew it couldn't have been because of a lack of chakra, being the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and thanks to the chakra control granted by Rinnegan, he had an almost unlimited amount of chakra at his disposal.

"Alright, hopefully we can figure that out while we train," said Jiraiya as he made his way towards one of the many gaps in the floor. Naruto quickly followed and the two jumped down into the forest below and moved away from the hideout. "This is far enough," Jiraiya said after they were about two hundred yards from the hideout, "Ok Naruto, you know what to do, try and summon a dog the size of one of the trees."

Naruto closed his eyes for a few moments before they snapped open. His first level Rinnegan blazing, Naruto flashed through the familiar hand seals for a summoning. Slamming his right hand on the ground Naruto focused as much chakra as he could into the jutsu, "Summoning Jutsu!" A large poof of smoke appeared in the clearing, when the smoke finally dissipated it revealed a large two-headed dog as tall as Jiraiya. "Damn it, why can't I summon anything larger than this?"

Jiraiya watched his student with a critical eye; he couldn't put his finger on it but he felt something was off about the summoning. _'Normally when someone summons something, it requires a small blood sacrifice, but when Naruto summons something, there is no sacrificed needed. When he first started training with his Animal Path we found out that the creatures he summons aren't real, they are just a manifestation his Animal Path creates. But wait, if the creatures are just manifestations, then extra chakra shouldn't be required no matter the size!' _"Naruto, dispel him and come over here for a minute."

Still grumbling to himself, Naruto obliged and walked over to his sensei while the dog dispelled in a poof of smoke, "What is it sensei?"

"I think I just figured something out. When you summon something with the Animal Path, they aren't real animals, they are just manifestations created by your Animal Path. If I'm right, then when you summon something it isn't about chakra like a normal summoning, but it's about your Animal Path. Try focusing more on your Rinnegan and your Animal Path to summon and less about the chakra involved." Naruto thought about what his sensei said and nodded in agreement, it made sense. Since his version of a summoning was different than a normal one, it was possible that he had to approach it in a different manner. Walking back over to where he had summoned the dog, Naruto closed his eyes, but this time he focused on his Rinnegan and his Animal Path. Eyes snapping open again, Naruto flashed through the same hand signs and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu," a large cloud of smoke filled the clearing and a few yards outside of it as well. Sensing something big coming, Jiraiya jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by a giant paw. _'Looks like he finally got the hang of it,' _thought Jiraiya as he waited for the smoke to clear. Slowly the smoke began to thin and Jiraiya could just make out the shadowy outline of a Gamabunta sized creature. After the smoke had completely dissipated, Jiraiya had trouble picking his jaw up off the ground. _'Oh you have got to be kidding me! Only Minato and Kushina's son would have the imagination to summon something like that!'_

Before Jiraiya, with a beaming Naruto on its head, was a Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though this one was very different than the real one; its fiery crimson red fur had been replaced by sun kissed blond fur that matched Naruto's own and its blood red slitted eyes had been replaced by a first level Rinnegan. The Toad Sage was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his student's voice, "You were right Jiraiya-sensei, all I had to do was focus on my Rinnegan and Animal Path then poof, giant summons!"

Jiraiya shook his head at his students rarely seen hyper active attitude, "Ok gaki, dispel that fox before someone notices it and comes to investigate." Complying with his sensei's instructions, Naruto mentally ordered his summon to lower its head allowing him to jump off before dispelling in a poof of smoke. "Ok, now that you seem to have a grip on summoning larger animals, practice with controlling the size of the creatures and summoning as many as you can at once. I'm heading back to the hideout to begin working on the seal, don't stay out more than a few hours and if anything goes wrong summon that yellow Kyuubi again and I'll be there as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded and watched as his sensei disappeared in a blur back to their impromptu home. Cracking his knuckles, Naruto smirked as he started training with his Animal Path, _'Let's see what else I can summon.'_

_A Week Later_

"Alright gaki, time to get going," Jiraiya said as he waited for his student to get ready. The young blonde came out of his official room wearing the same black clothes he had taken to wearing and black traveling cloak.

"Ready sensei," said Naruto as the two jumped down to the ground below them. Acting before his sensei could even ask, Naruto went through hand signs with his Rinnegan activated, "Summoning Jutsu!" In a poof of smoke, two gray birds, large enough to ride appeared in front of the two shinobi. Climbing onto the birds, Naruto gave them a mental command and the two birds shot into the air heading towards the desert region that was the Land of Wind.

"Naruto," Jiraiya called over the wind, "When we reach Sunagakure I'm going to meet with one of my spies, while I'm doing that I want you to look around the village for any signs of the jinchuuriki. If you find him, do not approach him, find me and we'll plan our next move from there." Naruto couldn't hide his disappointment at not being allowed to talk to his brother jinchuuriki, but he understood the need for secrecy; nodding his head, though reluctantly, Naruto continued to direct his summons in the direction of Suna.

After a few hours of flying, the two shinobi had finally reached the edge of the deserts of the Land of Wind. "Naruto take us lower to the ground, we don't want to be spotted yet." Naruto outwardly nodded while mentally ordering his summons to lower themselves so they were skimming the surface of the sand. The effect was almost immediate, at the speeds the two birds were flying a small sandstorm quickly formed behind them. In a flash of inspiration, Naruto made a few hand seals.

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough," the young blonde blew out a medium sized ball of compressed air into the sands ahead of them, effectively increasing the sandstorm around them.

Jiraiya nodded in approval, "Very good Naruto that was an excellent use of the terrain to our advantage. Since Suna is in the middle of the desert sandstorms no matter how small, have become a natural part of their lives. With this cover we'll be able to fly right into the village unnoticed." Naruto smiled at his sensei's praise and continued to direct the birds towards their destination.

_Sunagakure no Sato_

The Yondaime Kazekage looked over his villager from his office window, admiring the beauty of it. The sun had reached its peak for the day and its light was being reflected perfectly off of the sand. The tiny particles reflected the light just so that the entire village seemed as though it were covered in glitter and shinning as bright a star. The Kazekage frowned however as he remembered what this beauty hid, behind this outward beauty was a very dark secret. _'Even Gaara was a failure; can anyone truly control the power of the Shukaku?' _thought the Kazekage as his thoughts drifted to his youngest child. He knew that his son Gaara, the current host of the Ichibi, was playing with his deceased wife's younger brother, Yashamaru.

The Kazekage sighed as he thought about his brother-in-law, other than his eldest child and only daughter Temari; Yashamaru was the only person in the village who didn't fear Gaara. That was why he had chosen him for the mission he was planning. Yashamaru was his right-hand man, and the commander of both the village's medical core and Anbu core. With his skill, he was the perfect match for the mission he had planned, but the Kazekage couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his heart at the pain it would cause his brother-in-law. _'Forgive me Karura-chan, but this must be done to see if Gaara can indeed control the power of the Shukaku,' _taking one last look over his village, he noticed a small dust cloud heading towards the village, _'Looks like another small sandstorm, nothing to raise an alarm over.'_

_With Naruto and Jiraiya_

The two shinobi were on alert as they flew over the walls of Sunagakure, still under the cover of the sandstorm Naruto had created. Once they were clear of the outer walls, Naruto directed the two birds towards one of the scarce training grounds that had trees to shield their presence. Landing in one of the trees, Naruto and Jiraiya waited for the sandstorm to clear before quickly transforming themselves into average looking civilians and making their way into the heart of Sunagakure.

"Alright Naruto, I'm going to meet with my spy. Remember if you find the jinchuuriki; do not approach him, if he is treated as badly as my spy said he was it would draw to much attention if we approached him in broad daylight. We'll wait till the cover of night to make our move if we find him today. We'll meet up at this address," said Jiraiya as he handed Naruto a slip of paper, "Now go enjoy yourself and look around, but remember not to talk to strangers."

Naruto could tell that Jiraiya was acting, they had just reached the market district of Suna and they wanted to blend in as much as possible. "Ok grandpa, I'll be careful," he said as he walked off and pretended to look around at all of the different stalls and shops.

The transformed Toad Sage watched as his student acted like an average civilian child, and couldn't help the proud smile that was slowly spreading across his face. _'He's so young, yet already so adapt at infiltration, maybe I can finally pass on my skills as a spymaster,' _he thought as he walked towards a local bar.

_With Naruto_

The transformed blonde was walking around the village looking at everything in sight. To the world he look like a normal child exploring his home, but inside he was on alert, waiting for any sign of his brother jinchuuriki. _'Where could he be?' _the blonde thought as he continued to walk around the village, unknowingly making his way to one of the rare playgrounds in the village.

"It's the demon, run!" Naruto's head snapped up when he heard the shout. Picking up his pace, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki rounded a corner only to see a sight that made his blood boil. Kids, adults and families of all kinds and ages were running away from the playground as fast as their legs would carry them. In the middle of the playground, curled up in a ball with his shoulders shaking, was a young boy with spiky red hair, much like his own.

Naruto slowly approached the red head, subconsciously knowing that this boy was a brother to him. Some sand crunching under his feet jolted the red head into a standing position, his sea foam green eyes wide with fear. **"Kit, it's him, he's Shukaku's jinchuuriki," **Naruto nodded at the voice in his head, his eyes never leaving the shacking body of his brother. _'So much for not approaching him,' _thought Naruto as he stopped in front of the red head, his eyes showing nothing but happiness.

Gaara watched this stranger with wary, scarred eyes, whenever a stranger approached him, it usually ended in blood. Deep inside of Gaara's mind, Shukaku was watching this stranger with a critical eye. There was something about the boy that seemed familiar; he just couldn't put his claw on it.

"I finally found you," said Naruto as he looked Gaara in the eye. Gaara couldn't explain it, but he felt he could trust this person, there was something in his eyes that he had never seen in anyone else. Understanding. This boy understood what it was like to be feared, to be hated, and to be betrayed. They were alike, they were brothers. "We have much to talk about…brother," Naruto said as his eyes flashed red with slits for the briefest of seconds.

Gaara's eyes widened as his eyes flashed golden with a star shaped pupil as a feeling of calmness washed over him. "Indeed we do…brother," said Gaara as the sand around him began to swirl and formed a dome around the two boys.

Unknown to the two boys, someone had seen the little interaction. _'I wonder who this young boy is, to be able to calm Gaara with a few words is something even I can't do,' _thought Yashamaru, Gaara's uncle. The Anbu/Medical Commander watched as the sand dome formed around the boys, preventing anything else from being heard. _'Maybe he can do what no one thought possible, maybe he can save Gaara from his inner demon. I don't know who you are, but I pray that you can help my nephew.' _With that parting thought, Yashamaru jumped towards the Kazekage's tower to meet with his brother-in-law and leader.

**Ok, before anyone starts complaining, I know I made Shukaku more docile, but that is because he understands his place among his brothers and sisters. Also, we never really learned how old Gaara was when he was attacked by his uncle, so I improvised and made it the way I wanted.**

**Well, until next time!  
**

**BSW**


	4. Chapter 4

**I own nothing.  
**

**Chapter 4- Helping a Brother**

"Brother," Naruto started, "My name is Naruto, and I am here to help you."

"How could you possibly help me? I am nothing but a demon to this village," spat Gaara as he remembered all of the times he was nearly assassinated. The sand around Gaara's feet began to move around wildly, lashing out occasionally. Naruto sensed the growing rage inside the red head and quickly closed the gap between them and placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Brother, you have to calm down. I know what it's like, all the pain you've suffered, and all of the hate you have felt, but you mustn't let it consume you brother. You are stronger than they are, do not become the demon they see you as, become something you can be proud of." Naruto's word seemed to have an instant effect on the Ichibi jinchuuriki. The sand around the two began to calm down and slowly lower itself back to the ground. Taking a step back from his fellow jinchuuriki, Naruto continued in a much softer and more understanding tone. "I can help you brother, I can help free you from this nightmare of a village, but to do that you have to trust me."

Gaara looked into Naruto's eyes again and saw the same understanding he had seen before. That was the clincher for Gaara; he knew that whatever this person had to say, he would listen. "I trust you, my name is Gaara, and I am the youngest child of the Yondaime Kazekage."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly at this little piece of information. _'Well this complicates things a little,' _Naruto thought. **"No kidding kit, if he is the son of the kage, getting him out of the village will be more difficult than any of us previously thought," **said Kurama causing Naruto nod in agreement, **"Kit, place your hand on his head, I wish to speak with my little brother." **Naruto inwardly nodded once again before returning his attention to Gaara.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you Gaara. Now I believe Kurama has something he wants to talk to Shukaku about," with that Naruto stepped forward and placed his right hand on Gaara's head and before the red head could react, the two boys found themselves in the middle of a white expanse.

"Where are we?" asked Gaara as he looked around. All he could see was white that seemed to go on with no end in sight. The boy's turned their attention at the sound of a deep and slightly crazed voice. **"We are in a plain that exist outside of the human realm, a place that only bijuu and jinchuuriki can enter." **Behind Gaara was none other than the Ichibi no Shukaku himself. His sandy-brown fur was accentuated by the dark blue vein like markings that crisscrossed all over his body. His jagged, concave mouth was pressed into a frown as he watched something behind Naruto, his star-like pupil with dots surrounding it spinning wildly. **"Why have you brought us here Kurama?" **said Shukaku, his annoyance clear in his deep voice.

"**Now, now Shukaku, that's no way to greet your eldest brother after all these years," **said Kurama from behind Naruto, his slitted eyes staring into Shukaku's with no fear. Shukaku's frown deepened at his brother's remark but held his tongue, **"But seeing as your temper is building, I guess we should get down to business. Shukaku, I have been visited by our Father," **the tanuki's eyes widened in shock as he continued to listen, **"He told me of a great evil hiding in this world and he wants us to stop it. But the only way that we even stand a chance against this evil is for the nine jinchuuriki and bijuu to fight as one. Brother, our Father has put his trust in us to protect this world as he once did long ago. So I ask you Shukaku, will you fight alongside us, fight to protect this world and fight to uphold our Father's legacy?"**

Shukaku smirked as he answered, **"Yes, I will fight alongside you brother. I knew that one day our Father would call on us, that is why I was always the most battle crazed of us; I was training and preparing for the day we would be called upon." **Kurama smirked at his youngest brother; nothing ever seemed to truly surprise the tanuki. **"So when do we leave?"**

"**That is actually up to the kit and his sensei," **said Kurama turning his gaze down to the two confused jinchuuriki. **"So kit when are we leaving?"**

Naruto thought for a moment before answering, "Tonight, once I tell Jiraiya-sensei what happened, and after he's done ranting about me ignoring his instructions, we'll come pick Gaara up and sneak out of the village." The other three beings in the white expanse nodded in agreement, "Now that that's decided, let's get back to our world and put our plans into motion. Shukaku, until my sensei can repair the seal that is holding you inside of Gaara, I need you to restrain yourself and your power. The last thing we need right now is Gaara going into a rage if someone angers him." Shukaku pouted slightly at having to hold in his power instead of letting it run rampant like he was used to, but nodded in understanding. "Good, now let's head back," and no sooner had Naruto finished the two boys found themselves once again inside of Gaara's sand dome.

"I guess I shall see you tonight brother," said Gaara, slightly disappointed at having to separate from his first true friend and brother. Naruto sensed Gaara's disappointment and place a comforting hand on the red heads shoulder.

"Don't worry Gaara, we shall see each other again soon, I promise. Gather whatever belongings you wish to bring with you and wait for us atop the highest balcony in the village. We'll find you and we'll make our escape from this hell of a village," Naruto said in a soothing voice that eased Gaara's worries. Giving each other one final nod, Gaara dropped the sand dome around them and the two took off in different directions, not wanting to attract attention.

_Sunagakure- Kazekage's office_

Yashamaru stood before his leader and brother-in-law, a strange sense of dread building in the pit of his stomach. Sitting at his desk, the Kazekage had an emotionless mask on his face, making it impossible to tell what he was feeling or thinking. This only served to increase the feeling of dread Yashamaru had. No matter what, he had always been able to read his brother-in-law like a book no matter how hard he tried to hide it. For him to not be able to read anything off of him was setting off warning bells inside his head.

"Yashamaru, I have a mission for you," said the Kazekage as he slowly rose from his seat and turned to look at his village. Yashamaru slowly walked to stand at his right side; his eyes glancing over at the park were Gaara had encountered Naruto.

"What is it Kazekage-sama?" he asked in a neutral voice, hiding his growing dread.

The Kazekage sighed heavily as he turned to look at his right hand man, knowing how much this was going to kill him inside. "This is an S-rank assassination mission; you are to kill the target by any means necessary, do you understand?"

"Hai, Kazekage-sama; who is the target?" deep inside though, he already knew who he was supposed to kill and it was taking every ounce of his shinobi training to not lash out and refuse.

"Your target is Gaara, your mission begins tonight."

Yashamaru had to force himself to reply with all of the emotions he was feeling, "Hai, Kazekage-sama." The Kazekage sighed as he watched his brother-in-laws reflection leave his office. _'Karura-chan, forgive me for this sin but it is in village's best interest that Gaara be killed,' _thought the Kazekage as he gazed at the clear sky hanging overhead.

_With Naruto_

Naruto, once again under his transformation, was walking through the streets of Sunagakure with his head swerving left and right. _'Damn it sensei, the least you could have done was tell me where the hell you were meeting that spy at!' _cursed Naruto as he continued search the streets. After another hour of fruitless searching Naruto was seriously considering just finding Gaara and making a break for it. **"Kit, did you forget that thanks to your perfect chakra control you can sense other chakra signatures?" **Naruto stopped mid step and had to resist the urge to slap himself, how the hell had he forgotten that? _'Thanks Kurama,' _thought Naruto as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the chakra signatures around him.

He was surprised when he felt many of the chakra signatures coming from passing Suna ninja. Many of the chuunin and jounin had chakra reserves that were barely acceptable for their rank. A chuunin that walked by him had especially low reserves that were about the same as a Konoha genin. _'No wonder Konoha is known as the 'Strongest of the Five' these ninja could probably barely hold their own against Konoha's elite chuunin.' _**"No kidding kit, even you could probably fight most of these ninja and win one on one." **_'Maybe, but back to business, got to find Jiraiya-sensei,' _with that Naruto once again began to focus and extended his range as best he could. It took him a couple of minutes, but he finally found Jiraiya a couple of blocks away from him, _'That wasn't too hard, Jiraiya-sensei has by far the largest chakra reserves inside of this village.' _With a direction in mind Naruto set off at a mild jog towards where he felt his sensei's chakra signature.

_Konohagakure no Sato- Hokage Tower_

The Sandaime Hokage looked over his village with a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Ever since Naruto's escape from the village things had taken a drastic change from the norm. The once friendly and welcoming atmosphere that seemed to radiate from the very foundations of the village itself had been replaced by one of dread and intimidation. The civilians of the village though seemed almost blind to the change, still going about their daily lives…the shinobi on the other hand were a different story.

In earlier years, the shinobi of the village had been like the civilians, easy going and only relying on their training for missions and when called upon. Now though, they were constantly on alert, almost as if they were expecting an invasion at any moment. This was due to the Sandaime's decree of what had happened during the incident with Naruto. The civilians were outraged and had called for the Hokage to have the boy be tracked down and killed for his crimes. The shinobi had been in shock at the fact that Naruto was the heir of the Sage of the Six Paths, the very man who taught their ancestors the ways of chakra. Needless to say, the civilians cries were silenced when all of the ninja in the village sided with the Hokage, not even the ignorant Civilian Council members were stupid enough to argue when they had an entire village of ninja opposing them.

Now with a more militaristic outlook, Sarutobi had ordered each and every one of his ninja to train themselves to the limit, and train they did. Genin were easily chuunin level by any other village's standards while their chuunin looked more like jounin and their jounin could defeat an entire squad of Anbu from another village. The Hokage himself had even begun his own training, quickly regaining the right to call himself the 'God of Shinobi.' The Academy was not spared from the increased training either. Once he and his advisors had looked at the Academy curriculum, the Sandaime couldn't change it fast enough. While they had retained some of the classes and lessons such as History, Chakra Theory and Tactics, they had also incorporated much more to the Academy curriculum.

Children still began the Academy at six years of age, but instead of slowly getting them used to what they were learning, they were thrown into it headfirst. For the first two years there, children were taught mostly general things such as taijutsu, history, basic tactics, basic chakra control and how to use tools like shuriken and kunai properly. However they also introduced them to other areas of ninja specialties such as kenjutsu, genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, tracking and advanced ninjutsu. At the end of their second year, students were given the original Graduation Exam to see if they were ready to move on. Starting their third year, students were given the choice between five different fields to continue their education in: Medical Ninja, Assassination, Heavy Assault, Sensory and Tracking or Intelligence.

Sarutobi had taken Tsunade's original idea for having a specialized Combat Medic Corp and taken it to the next level. By introducing students to these fields early on in their education, it allowed them to discover what would best suit them and helped increase their numbers in the areas. Each unique field also branched off into the other fields slightly to help improve the quality of students and give them some variety in terms of skill. Those who went into the medical field were also trained in sensing out even the faintest of chakra signatures to help save more lives. They were also trained slightly in assault; an enemy would always target the medic first so they couldn't help heal their team mates, so to give field medics a better chance they were trained extensively in taijutsu and some ninjutsu.

The ones that continued in assassination were trained to the extreme in stealth. They also studied in the medical field on the anatomy of the human body so that they could kill their target quickly and efficiently. On top of that they were trained in tracking so they could find their targets quickly and eliminate them before they had a chance to become a larger threat. Heavy Assault students were trained mainly in Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu and other skills that could help them in combat. They were trained slightly in medical ninjutsu so that if anything were to happen to them they would be able to at least patch themselves up enough until they received treatment.

Those that went into Sensory and Tracking were, for obvious reasons, trained to track down their targets and restrain or eliminate them. To accomplish that, they were also trained highly in assault so they could hold their own in a fight against their opponents. The branch off of this field was the Sensory field, where students trained in homeland defense and protection. The ones that followed this path usually joined the Barrier Team that helped to watch over and maintain the village's security. The intelligence field mainly focused around getting information out of an enemy or prisoner by any means necessary. This often led students to join the Torture and Interrogation Core of the Anbu after they had graduated and had been promoted.

Sarutobi was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door. Sitting down in his seat behind his desk Sarutobi cleared his throat before speaking in a commanding voice, "Enter." The door opened to reveal his one-time rival and best friend, Danzo Shimura. "Ahh Danzo, what do you have to report?"

Danzo spoke in his standard monotone, "The team you sent to the temple in the Land of Mountains to conduct further research has returned. They report that other than a few scrolls containing jutsu taught at the temple, there was nothing else of interest or that was related to the Sage of the Six Paths." The Sandaime couldn't completely hide his disappointment at this, but he got over it quickly before moving on.

"What about that other mission?" the Sandaime asked as he signaled his Anbu guards to leave.

Danzo spoke up once they were alone, "Unfortunately, not as well as we had hoped Hokage-sama. Kumo's security was tighter than we had anticipated, but my Root team was able to bring back a few things of value as well as one of the main targets." With that the old war hawk pulled out a sealing scroll and placed it on the desk in front of the Hokage. Unrolling the scroll revealed three holding seals, with a quick pulse of chakra into the scroll, the seals released with a poof of smoke. Placing the now empty scroll aside, Hiruzen looked over the items that now lay on his desk. On his left was a stack of at least ten scrolls, each one bore the seal of the Raikage, "I'm impressed Danzo, your Root were able to infiltrate Kumo far enough to access the Raikage's personal library." Not even bothering to look up at his old rival to see his reaction, the Sandaime continued looking over the items on his desk. In the center of his desk was six foot long staff with a golden ring with six bangles dangling from it, "So this is the very staff that the Sage of the Six Paths carried with him throughout his life." Picking up the staff Sarutobi looked it over with a critical eye, "I must say it doesn't look like it has any kind of special gift like his Five Treasures."

"I agree Hokage-sama, however we must remember that Kumo has an unusually high admiration for the Sage and covet anything that has even the slightest link to him."

The Sandaime nodded absently at his advisors words, still inspecting the staff, "True my old friend, they admire him so much they would probably hang a tissue he used in a shrine for worship." The two veteran shinobi chuckled slightly at that, knowing full well that it was completely true. Placing the Monk Staff back onto his desk, Sarutobi looked over at the last item on his desk, one of the five targets the team had been sent to steal, The Banana Palm Fan. It was unlike any other fan the Hokage had seen in his life time, the handle was wrapped in white tape with a silver ring on the tip. Attached to the ring were several snow white feathers tipped with red at both ends. Before the Hokage could pick up the revered weapon, Danzo's voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't pick that up if I were you Hokage-sama," the Hokage gave his old friend a confused look, "Apparently each of the Treasures consumes massive amounts of chakra just by simply picking one up. The team I sent into Kumo was comprised of four of my top infiltration specialist, only three returned. The one who didn't was the one who picked up the Fan." Sarutobi jerked his hand away from the fan handle, his eyes wide with surprise.

"So for one to wield the Fan they must have exceptionally large chakra reserves. That complicates things a bit, but we can work our way around it later. For now store the scrolls in my personal library and place these two in the high security vault at the Anbu Armory," said Sarutobi as he resealed everything back into the scroll before handing it to Danzo who left with a quick 'Hai, Hokage-sama.'

Alone once again, Sarutobi turned around in his chair to once again look out over his village. _'Though I would have preferred to have more of the Treasures, having one is still a boost to the village's power. Now I believe it is time to begin that other operation,' _thought the Hokage before summoning one of his Anbu back into the room. "Prepare a tracking squad, I have a message that needs to be delivered and the recipient is very illusive."

"At once Hokage-sama," said the Anbu before he shunshin'd away to complete his task.

The Sandaime chuckled slightly as he thought about the possible response from this message would bring before signaling another Anbu to appear. "Summon the Sannin; I have a mission for them."

_Sunagakure no Sato_

'_You have got to be kidding me,' _thought Naruto as he stood outside of a dimly lit bar. From the appearance of the place it looked like it was barely surviving off of the handful of customers he could see inside. _'Why the hell would Jiraiya-sensei be in a place like this? I though he said he was meeting a spy, not getting drunk!' _**"I agree kit, but you know what they say; the safest place to hide is in plain sight. Besides who's going to suspect anyone who goes to this kind of place of being a spy?" **Sighing inwardly, Naruto nodded slightly as he walked into the dingy bar, _'Yeah I guess your right Kurama, but still I expected something a little better than this.'_

Before his tenant could respond, Naruto was stopped by two obviously drunk men standing in front of him. "Hey kid, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for my grandfather, I think he wondered in here," said Naruto keeping up his image as a normal nine-year old civilian. The two men sneered at him through half lidded eyes before the second one spoke up.

"Well he's not here, so get out you pathetic shrimp before we make you!" by now everyone in the bar was watching them, and none of them seemed to be moving anytime soon. _'Useless drunks,' _thought Naruto as he looked around at everyone's faces. Ignoring the two men in front of him, Naruto pushed past them and continued to walk into the bar. The two men just stared at his back in shock for a minute before it was quickly replaced by anger. "Why you snot nosed little brat!" shouted the second drunk before he swung a fist at the back of Naruto's head.

Before Naruto had a chance to counter, the man's fist was caught by a much larger hand. Naruto turned around to face the new comer and smiled at who he saw. A middle aged man with slightly greying hair with the build of an average civilian man held the man's wrist in a vice grip while glaring daggers at the would-be attacker. "Lay a hand on my grandson and it will be the last thing you ever do," said the transformed Jiraiya as he tightened his grip on the man's wrist. Said man winced at the pressure being applied to his wrist but his alcohol induced anger was preventing him from see the obvious danger he was in.

"Stay out of this you bastard!" he screamed as he swung his other hand at Jiraiya. Easily catching the punch in his other hand, the Toad Sage pulled both arms down while raising his knee to meet them. A sickening crunch resounded throughout the bar as both of the man's arms were broken clean in two. "You were warned," said Jiraiya before turning his attention to the other man who had been threatening Naruto, "Do you want to try something like your friend here?" the man quickly shook his he before fleeing the bar. "Come on gaki, I've taken care of my business here," said Jiraiya as he motioned for Naruto to follow him out of the bar.

The two shinobi continued down the road for a few minutes before Jiraiya led them into a nearby hotel. After renting a room for the night, Jiraiya sealed the room with a couple of seals and turned to his godson. "So gaki, did you find any information on the Ichibi jinchuuriki?"

"More than information, I found him," said Naruto after he cancelled his transformation. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise but his eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed Naruto's slightly sheepish look. Naruto scratched the back of his head as he answered his sensei's silent question, "Uhhh, well you know how you told me not to approach him if I found him," at Jiraiya's nod he continued, "Well I kind of talked to him."

Jiraiya just stared at him for a little longer before sighing slightly, "Oh well, I guess I should have seen this coming. Anyway, what did you two talk about?" Naruto spent the next few minutes recapping his and Gaara's conversation in detail to Jiraiya who would nod occasionally. When he had finished his explanation Naruto watched as his sensei silently thought over what he had said. "Alright," Jiraiya said after a few minutes of silence, "We'll meet up with him tonight and make our escape, once we're clear of the village's range we'll head back to the hideout. Once we're home we'll plan out our next move and go from there, for now though we need to rest, we don't want to risk having to fight someone when we're tired." Naruto nodded in understanding and sat back on his bed and was soon asleep, shortly followed by Jiraiya.

_Later that night_

"You ready gaki?" asked a shadowed figure with long spiky hair to the shorter figure next to him.

Said figure closed his eyes in focus before they shot open, revealing his first level Rinnegan. "Yeah, it's time we freed my brother from this hell of a village," said a young voice before the figure took off jumping across the roofs of buildings towards the highest point in the village.

The taller figure was quick to follow, easily catching up to his smaller companion. "We'll get him out of this village gaki, don't worry," he said as the two of them continued across the roofs of the village.

_With Gaara- Same time_

Gaara stood atop the roof of the tallest building in Sunagakure, waiting for his brother jinchuuriki to arrive. _'I wonder what it will be like to travel the world,' _thought Gaara, his excitement showing even in his thoughts. All he had ever known in his short life was the harsh treatment and cold stares of the people of Suna. **"You'll soon find out gaki, oooooohh I can't wait till you get older and start killing everyone that comes our way. Oh it will be a glorious blood bath!" **Gaara merely raised an eyebrow at his tenant's words. In the hours that followed his talk with Naruto, Shukaku had kept his word and restrained his power from continuously flowing into Gaara's chakra network. With his bijuu's chakra no longer interfering with his own, Gaara had felt truly peaceful for the first time in his short. _'Is fighting and killing all you ever think about you crazy pile of sand?' _thought Gaara with a small smirk. **"Watch yourself cub, or I'll come out there and show you what sand can really do!" **threatened Shukaku half-heartedly. Though he would never admit it to anyone, he enjoyed a good verbal fight every once in a while and he was excited his jinchuuriki might actually be able to give him one. _'Yeah, yeah, just keep talking,' _thought Gaara before a wall of sand rose up behind him, stopping a hail of kunai from reaching him.

"What the…" Gaara's voice trailed off as a person jumped out from the shadows. The red-haired jinchuuriki looked his attacker over, noticing they were wearing a white cloth over there face with a small gap for them to see through. They were also wearing the standard attire for a Suna jounin, a dark brown long sleeved shirt with matching pants and sandals, a tan flak jacket with shoulder guard's and six pockets lining the bottom of the jacket. They also wore a white turban like many other Suna shinobi as well as dark brown fingerless gloves with metal plating. Their Suna headband was wrapped around their forehead, the metal gleaming in moonlight.

Before Gaara could do anything, his attacker pulled out two more kunai and lunged at Gaara, fully intent on ending his young life. Like every other time someone had tried to assassinate him, the sand around Gaara reacted and blocked the attack before two spears formed and tried to impale the attacker. Said person jumped away from the spears, just barely avoiding being impaled. Looking at the young red head in front of him, the disguised Yashamaru couldn't help but smile slightly at the sand protecting the child. _'Karura, even in death you continue to protect your son. I'm sorry, but I must complete my mission, I only hope that when I see you in the afterlife, you can forgive me for this sin, because I will never forgive myself.' _Pulling another handful of kunai from his hip pouch, Yashamaru tossed them into the air while channeling his chakra to his hands.

The kunai he threw quickly righted themselves in mid-air with the rest of the kunai on the roof raising into the air and surrounding Gaara. "Forgive me," Yashamaru whispered before swinging his hands forward, launching all of the kunai at Gaara.

Before the blades could reach him, and even before Gaara's sand could react, an invisible force knocked all of the blades away. "Shinra Tensei," a voice whispered from behind the two. Gaara looked over towards the voice and came face to face with his brother jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. "Attacking my brother was a big mistake," said Naruto before Yashamaru was forced to dodge as a fist passed over his head. He wasn't however able to dodge the kick that connected with his chest sending him flying into the railing.

Coughing up some blood that stained the cloth over his face, Yashamaru looked up only to be met with the face of Jiraiya of the Sannin. _'Jiraiya of the Sannin, he is that boys sensei?' _thought Yashamaru in shock before he noticed something even more surprising. Gaara's sand wasn't reacting to the two of them; in fact it starting moving around the two of them as it did Gaara, granting them its protection. _'Karura, you already trust these two enough to grant them your protection?' _thought Yashamaru in surprise as he slowly made it to his feet, _'If you are willing to trust them, then I suppose I will as well.' _With that thought he reached up and pulled the cloth away from his face, shocking Gaara in the process.

"Yashamaru, but why?" asked Gaara, his shock clear for all to see. He couldn't believe that the one person in the village that cared for him, his own uncle, had tried to kill him.

"I'm sorry Gaara, I was ordered to kill you by the Kazekage because you didn't show any signs of being able to control the Shukaku's power. But right now that's not important, what is important is getting you to safety Gaara," said Yashamaru, completely letting his guard down. Naruto still looked at Yashamaru in suspicion, not willing to trust the man that had just tried to kill his fellow jinchuuriki so easily. Jiraiya though, who knew of Yashamaru's relation to the boy thanks to his informant, easily trusted the man's word, having been in a similar situation once before. "Gaara, you must leave with these two, otherwise your father will send more people to kill you."

"He's right," said Jiraiya, "If we want to get away without any interference, our window is small and closing quickly. Yashamaru, if you were ordered to kill Gaara, it's also safe to assume that he will be checking in at some point if you don't report back."

Yashamaru nodded in agreement with Jiraiya's analysis, "You're right, if you don't leave now, you may not have a chance of escaping without a war." Though Naruto was still unwilling to completely trust the man, he was right, if they didn't escape now they might not be able to at all. Noticing his sensei turning to him about say something, he beat him to it by going through a very familiar set of five hand seals.

Slamming his right hand on the roof of the building Naruto called out, "Summoning jutsu." In a poof of smoke, three birds exactly like the ones he and Jiraiya had ridden into the village appeared.

Jiraiya couldn't help but smirk at his student's ability to read his thoughts before he even had to voice them. "Alright you two, it's time we got out of here," said Jiraiya as he jumped onto the bird nearest him.

Gaara walked up to his uncle and couldn't stop the few tears that spilled from his sea foam green eyes. "I'll miss you Yashamaru," he said his voice almost cracking.

Yashamaru smiled and bent down to be at the same level as his nephew, "I know Gaara, and I'll miss you too, but you have to be strong. I know you will become a powerful shinobi one day, and when that day comes, I want you to promise me you'll come back and restore this village's honor, ok?"

With tears running down his face, Gaara wrapped his uncle in a hug and nodded into his shoulder, "I promise, when I'm strong enough I'll come back and bring honor back to Suna." Yashamaru smiled as he hugged his nephew for what he knew would be the last time. Breaking the hug, Gaara gave his uncle one more small smile before jumping onto the last remaining bird. With a mental command, the three birds quickly shot into the sky and vanished into the darkness of the night, never to be seen again for years.

Yashamaru watched as the three birds flew away from the village with a small smile while a few tears fell from his blue eyes. _'I'm sorry Gaara, I wish I could have seen the powerful shinobi you would have become, but I must make sure you're safe. Well sis, I guess I'll be seeing you soon,' _thought Yashamaru before he wrote a quick note that looked like it was written in the middle of a fight. His task done, he took one last look at where the three rogue shinobi had disappeared before he detonated the multitude of paper bombs on his chest. The explosion rocked a small portion of the village and quickly drew the attention of every shinobi and kunoichi in the vicinity as well as the Kazekage.

The sight that greeted them was one that would forever be ingrained into their mind. The body that was once Yashamaru, the feared and respected head of the Anbu and Medical corps, was now no more than burnt remains with pieces of charged skin peeling away and revealing the reddened muscle underneath. "Kazekage-sama!" shouted one of the jounin that had arrived at the scene, holding a slightly burnt piece of paper. Taking the paper from his subordinate, the auburn haired Kazekage looked the paper over and found two simple words that confirmed what he had hoped would happen. Two simple words that told him his right hand man's sacrifice wasn't in vein.

'_Mission Accomplished.'_

_Land of Woods_

The three shinobi had just dismounted Naruto's avian summons and were making their through the forests of the Land of Woods. They had decided to land a fair distance away from their new home so that if anyone had seen them flying in or had somehow tried to tail them, they wouldn't know exactly where their base of operations was. They were about fifty yards out away from what Naruto had dubbed the main tree and entrance to their base, when Jiraiya decided it was time to get things started.

"Alright you two, before we can do anything else, we need to check Gaara's seal and make what adjustments are necessary. But first, Gaara I need you to tell me about anything that even remotely seems related to Shukaku being inside of you," said the Toad Sage, all traces of his easy going nature gone, replaced by that of someone who had lived through things most couldn't even imagine.

Gaara took a moment to answer, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, the only things that I can think of would be the sand that protects me whenever I'm in danger and the fact that I can't sleep." **"Wrong," **said the demonic voice of Shukaku from inside Gaara's head. "Wait, what…" trailed off Gaara as his eyes glazed over and he stopped mid step.

Jiraiya looked at the still red head and was about to say something before his student cut him off. "Don't bother Jiraiya-sensei; he's talking to Shukaku in his mindscape right now. There's only one way to reach a jinchuuriki when they're in their mindscape, and that's for another jinchuuriki to bring them to a place where only jinchuuriki and bijuu can enter. For now we just have to wait for him to finish and hope no one shows up to fight, whenever one of us is like this, we're completely defenseless." Jiraiya could only nod in understanding, despite being one of the most informed and knowledgeable people in the Elemental Nations; his knowledge on jinchuuriki was rather limited.

"I guess we bitter get comfortable then," said Jiraiya as he sat down on a nearby root. Naruto nodded in agreement and moved to lean against a tree a couple of feet away from his brother jinchuuriki.

_Gaara's Mindscape_

The red haired jinchuuriki slowly opened his eyes and to his surprise, he was no longer standing in the middle of a dense forest. Instead he found himself in the middle of a desert that seemed to have no end, even by desert standards. But what caught his attention was the sandstorm that was raging not three feet from him, the sandstorm that looked more like a sand twister with a dark shadow hidden in the center.

His suspicions about what the twister was confirmed when he saw the dark shadow move around and slightly crazed voice spoke from behind it. **"Welcome to your mind pup, I bet your probably wondering why I have brought you in here, right?" **Gaara's only response was to nod a yes; he was too busy trying to get over his surprise at his current situation. **"Well it has to do with what that white haired toad summoner asked you. You see, the answer you gave him concerning your sand defense is only partially true. While my presence and powers amplify your defense, it is not the sole reason why you have it. I'm not to certain what the source of your defense is myself, but if I had to make an educated guess it has something to do with your mother."**

Gaara, who had managed to get over his shock, was thrown back into it faster than any fuuton jutsu could. For as long as he could remember, he had been told by his uncle that his mother had loved him, even if she could never be there to prove it. Now that Shukaku had brought up the idea, he remembered once when he was five that Yashamaru had told him that he believed that the sand that came to his aid was the will of his mother protecting him. **"I see you remember now, your uncle didn't realize how close to the truth he was when he said the sand was controlled by your mother's will."**

Gaara, who had been too surprised to respond, finally seemed to find his voice, "B-but how do you know you're right about this?" he asked, his voice betraying his hidden fear. Fear at what Shukaku said being wrong, fear at losing possibly the only link he had to his mother. Shukaku looked at his jinchuuriki, and for the first time in over a millennia, sympathy showed through in his eyes. He may have been the most battle crazed of the bijuu, but he also knew what it was like never knowing the love of a mother. He and his siblings may know how they came to be and what, for lack of a better word; their mother was, but that still didn't help fill the void a mothers absence creates.

"**I know I'm right because I was awake when I was first sealed into you, while you were still inside your mother's womb," **said Shukaku as his eyes shined from behind the sand veil, showing Gaara his memory of the time.

_Flashback_

'_**Screw this accursed tea kettle, I swear one of these days I'm going to get out of here and I'm going to kill the son of a bitch who did this!' **__These were the thoughts of the currently imprisoned Ichibi no Tanuki, after yet another failed attempt at escaping from his current prison. For years he had been trapped in the tea kettle, ever since his last jinchuuriki had lost control and he had gone on a rampage. He knew from past experience, and from what happened to his siblings, that he would be sealed into anther host in hopes of them being able to control his powers. __**'Like anyone could truly control my powers, the only way a human would even have a chance at controlling my power was if they were born of the Sand's Truest Love. I still don't know what the hell you meant by that Father, but oh well.'**_

_A few days passed and things went as they normally would for the bijuu; try and break out, fail to break out and curse his prison. It was now January nineteenth, though Shukaku didn't know that, and unknown to the bijuu his current prison was being taken away to perform a new sealing. __**'Ok, one more try,' **__thought Shukaku before something happened that he was all too familiar with. A glowing green seal appeared above him where the tea kettle's lid was located, and began to spin around causing an unnatural wind to pick up around him. __**'Nooooo, I won't be sealed inside another human!' **__thought the tanuki, but it was too late. The seal abruptly stopped spinning and opened slightly drawing him to it. He lost his physical form and was forced into his pure chakra state as the seal continued to absorb his power._

_Outside the Seal- Same Time_

"_Is everything ready Chiyo-sama?" asked the Yondaime Kazekage as he stood next to one of his Elders in an operating room. Doctors ran around the room, making sure the equipment was working and occasionally writing things down on their clipboards. In the middle of the large room, lying on the lone operating table was a woman with shoulder length sandy brown hair. Her naturally kind face was flushed red as she breathed deeply, a noticeable bulge in stomach, a sure sign she was pregnant. She was Karura, wife to the Kazekage and mother to a three year old Temari and a two year old Kankuro._

_Chiyo, an elderly woman in her late fifties with grey hair tied into a tight bun, nodded a yes to the village leader's questions. "Yes, everything is ready; the Shukaku's power has already been absorbed into the seal and is ready for transfer."_

"_Good, then begin the sealing," said the Kazekage as he moved to the foot of his wife's operating table. Chiyo nodded once again, signaling for the doctors to stand back so they wouldn't get in the way. The doctors were quick to comply, none of them willing to risk angering one of the Honored Siblings. Once everyone was out of her way she pulled a brush from her sleeve and dipped it into a bowl filled with blood._

"_Prepare yourself Karura; once the seal is drawn I will push the Shukaku's chakra through you and into your child," said Chiyo, her voice not betraying any of her emotions. Karura took one last deep breath before nodding in understanding, mentally slowing her chakra so it wouldn't interfere with the sealing. Chiyo didn't waste any time in drawing the seal over the pregnant kunoichi's abdomen, a simple circle with two smaller circles on either side of the circles edge. Inside the small circle on the right was the kanji for 'Stay' while the kanji for 'Sit' was drawn in the circle on the left. In the center of the main circle, the kanji for 'Wind' was drawn with four small dots surrounding it. With the seal complete, Chiyo put away her brush and began going through a long chain of hand seals, ending with the dog seal. "Fuinjutsu: Wind Hound Sealing Jutsu," the second the words left her lips, the seal on Karura's abdomen began glowing a similar shade of green to the seal that absorbed Shukaku. At the same time, the same seal that absorbed Shukaku appeared on the tea kettle and released a stream of sandy brown chakra that was immediately drawn into the new seal that would hold it._

_A few minutes passed before the stream of chakra finally ended and the rest of it was absorbed into the seal. Once the last of the chakra was sealed, the seal started to spiral in on itself before vanishing entirely. Chiyo let out a deep sigh at the concentration and effort the sealing had required, "It's done, the child in Karura's womb is now the newest jinchuuriki of the Shukaku."_

_The Yondaime nodded absent mindedly, his attention was drawn as one of the machines that were monitoring the pregnancy started acting up. "Report, what is happening!" demanded the Kazekage as the doctors rushed around checking every machines readings and making what adjustments were needed._

"_Kazekage-sama, the sealing must have affected the pregnancy. Karura-sama is going into labor right now!" shouted one of the doctors that was checking Karura over. "Sir, if we don't act quickly, it is likely we may lose both Karura-sama and her child!"_

"_Then what are you waiting for, get to work!" shouted the Yondaime Kazekage as he stepped back and let the medics do their job._

_Inside the Seal_

'_**Ughhh, I always hated when they do that,' **__thought Shukaku as his chakra condensed back into his corporeal form. Taking in his new surroundings, he was surprised to find nothing but a dark expanse. __**'What the hell is this?'**__ thought Shukaku as he sent a small portion of his chakra to probe the mind of his new host. What he found surprised him; he was sealed into the body of a baby that wasn't even born yet! But what he could tell from the memories of the women carrying the child, was that his own father had ordered the sealing, some old hag had performed it, and they used the same exact seal that was used on his previous jinchuuriki. __**'Seriously? These humans need to learn something new if their using the same seal they used on my last jinchuuriki. Oh well, I drove that one insane, I can drive this one insane.'**_

_Unfortunately for him, his thoughts were cut short as a never ending desert appeared around him and a sand twister formed around him. __**'What the…' **__thought the giant tanuki before a symbol flashed in front of him for a brief moment. __**'It can't be,' **__thought Shukaku in surprise, it had only happened for a brief moment, but it would forever be ingrained into his memory. The symbol that appeared before him was a kanji, the kanji for 'Love.'_

_Outside the Seal- a few minutes ago_

"_It's small… premature from the looks of it. Will it truly be able to handle it…?" asked the Kazekage as he looked at the red haired baby that was just barely larger than the hands holding him._

_Chiyo nodded slightly as she looked at the child with a passive stare, "He is compatible." She took a quick glance around the room at the doctors working endlessly at their stations. "This is the third child…and the first compatible one. We must raise this child with great care."_

_Before the Kazekage had a chance to respond, a raspy, strained voice made itself known, "Show me my baby's face…"_

_The Yondaime spun around to face his wife, a looked of worry clearly visible on his normally impassive face. "Karura! Are you alright!?" he shouted as the doctor holding his new born son moved to set the baby down so his mother could see him. The exhausted kunoichi slowly turned her head to look at the small form that was place next to her head._

"…_What a small, feeble child…!" she managed to say in between her ragged breaths. The Kazekage's attention was drawn from the mother-son scene as one of the doctors whispered to him._

"_Karura-sama's heart rate is rapidly falling…" before he had a chance to finish though, he was cut off by an obviously angered Kazekage._

"_Do something about it! Quickly!" he was about to start barking orders to the rest of the doctors and medics before the voice of his wife once again cut him off._

"_No matter what happens, I'll always protect you! Gaara…!" the Yondaime Kazekage could only look on as his wife brought her hands up to surround her son in a protective manner as she slowly took her last breaths. The Kazekage looked on as his beloved wife died with her arms still wrapped around Gaara protectively. Over the continuous sound of the heart monitor and the shouts of doctors and medics trying to resuscitate the deceased mother, the Kazekage heard his wife's last words echo in his mind once more. 'No matter what happens, I'll always protect you Gaara…!'_

_Flashback End_

Gaara stood rooted in place, tears rolling down his face as he took in what he had just learned. "M-my mother truly loved me? I was loved at one time?"

Shukaku nodded his head from behind his prison, **"Yes, and not just then, even now your mother's love protects you from within the sand."** For the first time in his life, Gaara let a true smile grace his face as he shed tears of joy. He had been loved, his mother truly loved him and even in death she continued to protect and love him. Shukaku watched as his jinchuuriki let lose all of the pent up emotion he had been forced to endure in his short life. Unbeknownst to his jinchuuriki though, the kanji for 'Love' slowly appeared just above where his left eyebrow was supposed to be. _**'It seems that the one born of the Sand's Truest Love has finally found himself. It seems you were right once again Father, maybe, just maybe, this pup will be the one to unlock the true extent of my power. Hmmm, I do not know what the future holds for us now, but I do know that no matter what, I will always stand by you, Gaara.'**_

_****_******Well there it is, the fourth chapter of Jinchuuriki Unleashed. Now I apologize for anyone who isn't up to date with the manga, but it was best thing I could think of to show Gaara he was truly loved. Speaking of Gaara being loved, I am well aware that in the anime and manga, Gaara already had the kanji for 'Love' on his forehead, but I just couldn't help myself, it seemed to be the perfect moment for something like that to appear. And before anyone starts ranting about Shukaku being seriously out of character, I did give a reason in the chapter and if anyone has a problem with it, then you better stop reading right now. Cause if you hate OOC stuff, your probably not going to like my story at certain points or when it comes to certain characters.  
**

**Please R&R  
**

**Until next time  
**

******BSW**


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing. Chapters 3-5 have been updated slightly, with different ways of saying the different country names. Other than that, everything else is as it was.  
**

**Chapter 5- A Taste of Shinobi Life**

Jiraiya and Naruto were still waiting for Gaara to come out of his mindscape so they could continue on to the hideout. "Hey gaki, how long does something like this usually take?" asked a slightly annoyed Jiraiya as he readjusted himself for what felt like the hundredth time. _'Kami, if every secret about jinchuuriki is like this then I'm not sure I want to find out about the rest of them.'_

Naruto shrugged his shoulders from his place against a tree, "It depends, usually a conversation with one's bijuu is instantaneous in the real world, even if they spent the equivalent of hours talking. However there are certain cases where the time spent in one's mindscape is the same amount of time that passes in the real world. That usually happens when the bijuu shows the host something like a memory, which is probably what Shukaku is doing for Gaara."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding and was about to ask another question, but something caught his eye. Looking over towards the newest jinchuuriki of their little group, he was surprised to see a red kanji slowly appearing above Gaara's left eye. "What the hell?" he asked aloud, bringing Naruto's attention towards his fellow jinchuuriki as well.

"Hmmm, that's new; it must have something to do with what they were talking about." No sooner had Naruto finished than did Gaara's eyes lose their glazed look.

"Ugh, man that's going to take some getting used," said Gaara as he wobbled slightly from the sensation of returning to one's body. Once he managed to right himself he looked at his two traveling companions and saw them looking at him strangely, specifically the left side of his forehead. "What?"

Naruto was the first to respond, "Where'd the tattoo come from Gaara?"

"Huh, what tattoo?" asked Gaara as he rubbed his forehead. **"You won't be able to feel it you knucklehead, it's a part of your skin," **said the voice of Shukaku from inside his head. **"The tattoo is the kanji symbol for 'Love.' If I had to hazard a guess, it is most likely the physical manifestation of your mother's love for you."**

"Hey Gaara, you okay?" asked Naruto, shaking his brother jinchuuriki slightly.

"Yeah," said Gaara as he shook his head slightly, "Shukaku just told me that the tattoo on my forehead is probably the physical manifestation of my deceased mother's love for me."

Jiraiya sat in contemplation for a moment at this new revelation, "Hmmm, it's entirely possible. With everything I've seen in this world, it wouldn't surprise me." Naruto and Gaara nodded in understanding while the Toad Sage stood up and dusted himself off. "Well then, if you two are ready, let's back to the hideout and get Gaara's seal fixed up." With that the three rogue shinobi continued on towards their new home in moderate silence.

_Konohagakure- Hokage Tower_

"You summoned us Hokage-sama?" asked a voice as the door to the Hokage's office was opened. The Hokage looked from some papers he was going over and couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips. Before him stood three of the most powerful ninja Konoha had at its disposal. The first one to enter was a young man in his early twenties that had a very unique hair style. His silver hair seemed to defy gravity itself as it stood up on his head while leaning to his left side slightly. He wore the standard issue shinobi garb for all active Konoha shinobi; a navy blue, long sleeved shirt with red swirl symbols on the shoulders, and matching navy blue pants and shinobi sandals with white tape wrapped around his ankles. He also wore a dark green flak jacket that had three scroll pouches on both sides of the chest. The flak jacket also had a raised neck guard with extra padding over the shoulders, and a red swirl pattern on the back. His face and neck were hidden by a face mask that covered everything from his nose down. His headband was slanted down over his left eye, and rounding off his outfit were navy blue, fingerless gloves with metal plating on the back.

The second one to enter didn't seem to have any sense of fashion, if his outfit was anything to go by. A green jumpsuit covered a well-built frame with orange striped leg warmers and an unzipped standard Konoha jounin flak jacket. His headband's normal blue cloth was replaced by a red one and wrapped around his waist like a belt. His hair style didn't help him much in the looks department either, black hair cut into a bowl style with thick, bushy eyebrows made him look like an even weirder individual.

The last of three was by far the most normal looking out of all of them. The man wore the standard navy uniform of a Konoha ninja with the sleeves rolled up half way, a jounin flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and a normal headband. Around his waist was a sash with the kanji for 'Fire' on it, signifying he was once a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja that protected the Fire Daimyo. He also had white tape wrapped around his upper arms with a pair of bangles on his wrists.

They were Kakashi Hatake, aka Kakashi or the Sharingan, Might Guy, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast, and Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Sandaime Hokage. They were three of the most powerful shinobi currently in Konoha's ranks; they were also the newest generation of Sannin.

"Yes Kakashi, I did," said the Sandaime as he leaned forward on his elbows, "I have a mission for the three of you."

Asuma raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, "A mission that requires all three of us? What the hell do you want us to do pops?"

Sarutobi shook his head slightly at his son's refusal to refer to him with his title, but it was a slightly refreshing change from the norm. "Well to put it simply, I need the three of you to bring someone back to the village. He is a former shinobi of Konoha that went rogue when I foolishly tried to have my former students kill him. Only now do I realize what a mistake it was trying to kill him, the experiments he was conducting may have been considered inhumane by some, but they could lead to some of the greatest breakthroughs the shinobi world has ever seen. I believe you three are familiar with his page in the Bingo Book, Hiruko, the wielder of the Chimera Jutsu."

Kakashi's lone eye widened slightly at this piece of information, "Hiruko, if he is the target Hokage-sama, then convincing him to return to the village will be very difficult and will most likely end in bloodshed."

The Hokage nodded in agreement with Kakashi's assessment, "That may be true, but certain circumstances have been met and it should be easier to convince Hiruko to return to us. For one, all of my formers students have fled the village, with this we can promise him a chance at revenge for what they tried to do to him. Second, is that I have written a high priority letter that has been sealed with a sample of Hiruko's chakra and blood. The letter is an apology for past actions, and a promise that if he will return, any experiment he wishes to conduct will have the backing of the Hokage and Elder's."

Guy, who had been strangely quiet since he entered the office, finally decided to speak up, "Any experiment, Hokage-sama? Doesn't that seem a little risky, what if he decides to experiment on Konoha shinobi?" Kakashi and Asuma both nodded in agreement, part of the reason Hiruko was targeted for assassination was because it was feared that he would use his kinjutsu on fellow Konoha shinobi.

Once again the Hokage nodded in understanding, "It may seem a little risky, but that is why we will be supplying Hiruko with his test subjects. Any captured foreign ninja that have already been tortured for everything they know will be the main source of the test subjects. We will also offer him free reign of Konoha's maximum security prison to select any promising subjects as well. Also as I have written in the letter, all of his experiments will have to be approved beforehand, by myself and the Elder's, but other than that, he will have free reign to conduct his experiments."

This seemed to placate the worries of the new Sannin as Kakashi stepped forward to take the letter the Hokage had written for Hiruko. "We'll leave immediately Hokage-sama," said Kakashi after he pocketed the scroll. Asuma and Guy nodded in agreement, and the three of them left the office shortly after that to begin their mission.

The Sandaime sat there for a moment before turning towards one of the darkened corners of his office, "You can come out now, Danzo."

"Your skills are as sharp as ever Hiruzen," said Danzo as he stepped out of the shadows. The Hokage chuckled slightly before leaning back in his chair to relax.

"Our shinobi forces aren't the only ones who have been training."

"Indeed, but that is not why I am here," said Danzo as he took a seat across from his rival. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow in curiosity, silently asking Danzo to continue. "While I do not question your choice to have the Sannin retrieve Hiruko, I am curious why you chose Hiruko over say, Orochimaru."

"An understandable curiosity, my friend, but the reason I chose to have Hiruko retrieved instead of Orochimaru is simple. Orochimaru felt betrayed by me directly, even if I were to extend this same offer to him and he actually accepted it, there would always be a lack of trust for my past actions. Hiruko on the other hand, while he does know I was the one to order his execution, his closest friends, my former students were the ones who committed the actual act. His anger lies with them for betraying him in such a way, also he was always jealous of them for their skill and power because he wasn't born with anything that could help him become as strong as them. His jealousy and anger towards them will be his motivation to return to the village, and the offer of us backing his experiments is just the icing on the cake to sweeten the deal." Danzo nodded in understanding and couldn't help but smirk at his rivals newly discovered manipulative side. Sarutobi returned the smirk and the two of them continued to plan for the inevitable future that was to come.

Their conversation was interrupted a few hours later by a knock on the door. "Enter," commanded the Hokage as the door opened to reveal his secretary.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama, I wasn't aware you were having a meeting with Danzo-sama," said the secretary as she bowed to the two shinobi.

"It's alright, what was it that you needed Yuki-san?" said the Hokage waving off her apology.

"The tracking squad you requested has arrived Hokage-sama, they await your orders," said the secretary as she looked at her clipboard.

"Very well, send them in," ordered the Hokage. Yuki bowed once more before leaving, while Danzo moved to stand behind his leader. As soon as Yuki left, the door opened once more admitting four new arrivals. The first one was a tall, well-built man with a slightly tanned complexion. He wore the standard outfit of a Konoha jounin consisting of a dark green flak jacket and a black suite underneath with the sleeves ripped off. In addition to the standard jounin uniform, he also wore a white wolf's pelt like a coat that showed off the scars on his arms. His wild, silverish-grey hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his skull that reached a little past his shoulders. His pupils resembled those of a wolf more than they did a human; his elongated canines jutted out from his upper lip slightly and on his cheeks were the distinctive red fangs of the Inuzuka clan. On his left was his canine partner, a pure white dog that reached his waist in height and at first glance could be easily mistaken for a wolf. The dog's red, slitted eyes shown with the superiority and strength of an alpha. They were Ookami Inuzuka and his partner Shiromaru, the head of the Inuzuka clan.

The next one to enter was Tsume Inuzuka and her own partner, Kuromaru. Tsume had a very animalistic look about her, much like her husband. She had long, spiky, untamed brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils, elongated canines, and the Inuzuka clans red fang like marks on her cheeks. Her lips were colored a dark shade of purple and she had red eye shadow that matched the color of her fang marks. She wore the standard outfit for a Konoha jounin much like her husbands, but a slight difference was that she had her sleeves rolled up slightly and bandages wrapped around her legs. Kuromaru, as his name suggests, has black fur with a white underside. Like Shiromaru, he was also wolfish in appearance, but not to the extent of Shiromaru.

The third member of the tracking squad was, by his appearance alone, a member of the Aburame clan. Shibi Aburame was the head of the Aburame clan and by far one of the most skilled trackers and tactical minds in Konoha's ranks. Like all members of his clan, his eyes were obscured by dark glasses which featured a single tassel hanging down from one side. He had spiky short black hair and small mustache which could just be seen over the top of his high collared outfit. On his back was a gourd that acted like an extra hive for the numerous Kikaichu his clan used in combat. Another little quirk about him, and most of his fellow clansmen, was that they tended to keep their hands in their pockets, only taking them out when commanding their Kikaichu.

The last member of the tracking squad was much younger than his current team mates. A young boy of sixteen with short, unkempt, black hair and a relatively broad nose and well-defined eyelashes, which were turned upwards at each end, walked in with an impassive face. He wore the standard attire of the Uchiha clan, a black, high-collared shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back along with a pair of lose matching pants and shinobi sandals. A tanto was strapped to the right side of the back of his shoulder, held in place by a harness that ran across his chest and fastened over both his shoulders. This young man was Shisui Uchiha, one of the most powerful shinobi the Uchiha clan had ever produced.

"You needed to see us Hokage-sama?" asked Shisui, his voice void of emotion.

"Yes Shisui, I did," said the Hokage as he pulled a mission scroll out of his desk, "I am assigning the four of you to a long term A-rank retrieval mission. You are to track down and return Tsunade Senju to the village, no matter what it takes. When you first find her, try to convince her to rejoin us willingly, but should that fail you are authorized to use whatever methods necessary to bring her back."

"Hai Hokage-sama, we'll leave at once," said Ookami with a feral grin at the prospect of fighting such a powerful opponent. Tsume shared his husband's thoughts, but was a little more worried about the outcome of that fight. Shibi didn't show any outward emotion, but inside he was worried slightly. No matter how you looked at this mission, and the potential fight ahead, they were up against one of the Sannin. Someone who has lived through two shinobi world wars, he had no delusions that even with the four of them fighting together could they even hope to defeat her. Shisui just raised an eyebrow in moderate surprise, but eventually shrugged it off. If it was a part of his mission, then he would comply without question and perform to the best of his ability.

"Very well, Ookami, as the most experienced member of the team, you will be in charge. Once you have Tsunade, return to the village at once and bring her strait to me," ordered the Hokage while Danzo just looked on impassively. With a quick chorus of 'Hai, Hokage-sama,' the four ninja, and two ninken, vanished in a massive swirl of leaves.

"Are you sure they can complete this mission Hiruzen?" asked Danzo once they were alone.

"Yes, if only just," said Sarutobi as leaned back in his chair and turned to look out at the village. "Shibi should be able to drain most of Tsunade's chakra allowing the other three to capture her with relative ease. If that should fail however, Shisui has his hidden ace to help complete the mission."

Danzo nodded in agreement, "So you know about his Mangekyo Sharingan as well, eh?"

"Yes, it is not hard to notice the increase in his chakra to his eyes whenever he so much as activates it. Also I had Inoichi go into the mind of one of the higher ups in the Uchiha clan, and he found something very interesting. It appears that the Uchiha clan has been keeping quite a large secret from the rest of us. It seems that beneath the Naka Shrine is a secret Uchiha meeting room, wherein lies a stone tablet containing all of the ancient secrets of the Uchiha." Danzo couldn't stop the look of complete shock that crossed his face at this piece of information. He may have a spy or two inside the clan that knew quite a few secrets the Uchiha clan would prefer to keep hidden. But even his best spy hadn't been able to get ahold of that kind of information. Hiruzen smirked when he saw former rivals face from the reflection in the window. "Yes, it was quite surprising when Inoichi relayed that piece of information. Unfortunately though, the Uchiha whose mind I had Inoichi enter hadn't had the chance to read what was written on the tablet. I feel that whatever is written on that tablet will be vital to the village in more ways than one."

Danzo, who managed to get his emotions back under control, nodded in agreement, "I believe you are right Hiruzen. No matter what, we must know what is written on that tablet. I will prepare a squad of my best Root operatives to steal the tablet, once we have it, we…"

"It is not that simple Danzo," interrupted Sarutobi as he turned in his chair to face his former rival. Danzo gave the Hokage a look that clearly showed his confusion, "It seems that the tablet is written some kind of code that only the Sharingan and now Mangekyo Sharingan can decipher. If we wish know the secrets that are written on the tablet, we will need a Sharingan to read it for us." Both men were silent for a while after that, each going through plans that would hopefully lead to them finding out the secrets written on the tablet. Both men's head snapped up to meet one another's gaze, "Hiruko!"

"If Hiruko returns to the village, and we give him the eyes of a few Uchiha…" started Danzo.

"…and give him access to the notes we collected from Orochimaru's lab…" continued Sarutobi.

"…then maybe he can successfully transplant them into a new host!" they finished at the same time. The two of them shared a rather sadistic smirk before they began to plot different ways to achieve their goal, should their first plan fail.

_Land of Woods- Jiraiya's Hideout- The Next Day_

Naruto was sitting on the semi-circle couch watching the monitors that displayed different locations in Konoha. After they reached the hideout, Jiraiya had been adamant about fixing Gaara's seal the minute he was ready. So about half an hour later, Jiraiya had taken Gaara into another of the many rooms in the hideout. Two hours had passed since Jiraiya had begun to work on Gaara's seal, and in that time, Naruto had silently practiced with his gravity manipulation. Not only had he levitated himself with his gravitational abilities, he had also practiced by altering the gravitational field of objects around him. At first he started by levitating large items such as the couch, and slowly worked his way down to much smaller objects like the remote for the monitors.

It seemed that altering the gravitational field around larger areas was much easier, as it required less concentration. But the smaller the object he tried to levitate, the more and more he had to focus on only altering the gravity around that specific object, if he couldn't then the gravitational field would expand out of his control. Currently he was working on levitating multiple small objects at once, forcing himself to split his focus evenly while at the same time maintaining the same intensity to keep the gravity in his control. His attention was drawn from his training when he saw his sensei walk out from the room he knew housed his spy network sealing matrix. "Sensei, what were you doing in the seal matrix room? I thought you were working on improving Gaara's seal?"

"I was gaki," started Jiraiya as he took a seat, "But I finished about an hour ago, Gaara fell asleep almost as soon as the process was over, and when I came out to tell you, you were too focused on your training to notice me. So I decided to check on my spy network for any updates and send out a command to be on the lookout for any information concerning the other jinchuuriki."

Naruto had the decency to look somewhat sheepish at not noticing his sensei, even though he probably wasn't even ten feet away at the time. "Hehe, sorry about that sensei, I just thought I would go ahead and train my gravity manipulation while you were working on Gaara's seal."

"It's alright gaki, but let this serve as a lesson, no matter where you are, no matter how tight the security around you may be, always be aware of your surroundings and always be ready for anything that might happen. It may sound like being paranoid, but doing that is one of the reasons I have lived as long as I have in this world of ours," said Jiraiya, for once sounding like the wizened sage he claimed to be. Naruto, though disappointed at his mistake, nodded in understanding, silently promising himself he wouldn't let it happen again. "Anyway, I found out some very interesting, and disturbing information from one of my spies in Amegakure."

This caught Naruto's attention, "What did you find out, Jiraiya-sensei?"

Jiraiya sighed slightly, but met his students gaze nonetheless, "Akatsuki, a criminal organization, which at the moment is comprised of six S-ranked rogue ninja, is on the move. Apparently their looking for new members, but they're also taking on some missions as a mercenary group. My spy wasn't able to discern what their end goals are, but he did manage to figure out who their main targets are."

"Who are they targeting sensei?" asked Naruto, not really sure if he wanted to know, and the feeling of dread in his stomach wasn't exactly helping.

Jiraiya met Naruto's gaze once again, this time all traces of the Jiraiya who liked to goof off a little gone. In his place was Jiraiya of the Sannin, a warrior who had lived through hell's that most people couldn't even imagine. It was really unnerving to Naruto to see the sudden transformation in his sensei's personality, but what he said next nearly made his heart fail. "They're targeting the jinchuuriki."

Naruto sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, slowly coming to grips that there was an organization like the Akatsuki targeting the jinchuuriki. "Do we know when they might make a move on the jinchuuriki?" asked Naruto, his voice shaking in fear. Fear for himself and his fellow sibling jinchuuriki, and what might happen to them should Akatsuki succeed in their goals.

"Not for quite some time, apparently whoever the leader of Akatsuki is wants there to be at least ten primary members before they make any move on the jinchuuriki. At best, I would say we have a few years before they start to make themselves known to the world," Jiraiya said as he went through everything he learned from his spy in Ame again.

Naruto seemed to brighten slightly at this, "Good, if they don't plan on making any moves for a few years, then we have some time to gather more of the jinchuuriki and boost our own strength for when we face them. That said, as soon as Gaara wakes up we need to make plans to get Choumei's jinchuuriki out of Takigakure as soon as possible."

"No," said Jiraiya in a tone that left no room for argument.

"No, what do you mean no! We can't just leave them their!" screamed Naruto as he stood up, his anger easily showing through.

"Sit down Naruto," commanded Jiraiya in a tone that remained Naruto of the way the Sandaime Hokage ordered his shinobi around. "You and Gaara will not be participating in the extraction of the Nanabi jinchuuriki; I will be handling that one alone. I have a different mission for the two of you."

"B-but sensei, why can't we help, what could you possibly have us do that is more important than helping our sibling jinchuuriki?"

"Gaining experience as shinobi," said Jiraiya, "The Akatsuki is comprised of S-ranked rogue ninja, each an extremely skilled and experienced shinobi. You are very skilled for your age, and given some time to train, Gaara could easily catch up to you with the use of his sand. But you two lack the experience required to fight such an opponent, so you will be doing missions to gain that experience and to hone your skills while I am away. Before I leave, I will leave behind a Blood Clone that will supervise your missions and will only step in if the situation truly demands it."

Naruto nodded in understanding, but he still didn't like not being able to help one of his siblings. "What is our mission Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Your first mission will be to attack and raid one of minor poison research centers of Kusagakure. Once you complete this mission, the Blood Clone will tell you your other missions and you will keep this pattern going until I return. Now back to the mission, you and Gaara will attack the research center and bring back as much information, and if you can samples, of all of the poisons the lab has." Jiraiya paused for minute to allow Naruto absorb what he had already told him, "Consider this mission a form of training if you want, it will force you to think on your feet and make spilt second decisions, skills that are crucial to a shinobi."

"Understood sensei," said Naruto, "But what of the guards and scientists stationed there?"

"Kill the guards, and interrogate the scientist for everything they know," said Jiraiya, causing Naruto's eyes to widen slightly before nodding in understanding. "Good, once Gaara awakens, my clone will explain everything to him and you can leave to start your mission," said the Toad Sage as he got up and moved towards his room. "I'll be leaving in a few hours, but before that we're going to have a quick spar. Meet me outside in few minutes, and don't hold back, treat this spar as a real fight and aim to kill me."

"Yes sensei," said Naruto before moving towards his own room to prepare his gear. A few minutes later found the two shinobi standing across from one another in a clearing a few minutes away from the hideout. For several seconds neither of them made a move to attack, a small breeze blew through clearing, causing a single leaf to fall to the ground. The instant the leaf touched the ground both shinobi sprang into action, charging one another to engage in taijutsu. Naruto jumped and using his momentum spun around to deliver a roundhouse to Jiraiya's head. Jiraiya raised his arms in defense and grabbed onto the blonde's ankle before throwing him away.

Readjusting himself midflight, Naruto landed on his feet and started going through hand seals, his Rinnegan blazing. "Katon: Phoenix Flower Jutsu," said Naruto before bringing his right hand to his lips and shooting out multiple small fireballs at his sensei. He didn't stop there however as he quickly went through a chain of seals, "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough," this time instead of fire, Naruto blew a strong wind towards his sensei. The wind from his Great Breakthrough quickly caught up to the small fireballs, increasing their speed and feeding their flames, causing them to grow in size.

Jiraiya gaped at the combination for a second, before remembering that that incredible combination was barreling towards him. "Doton: Earth Wall," said Jiraiya after going through a quick series of hand signs. A wall of earth rose from the ground just in time to block the onslaught of wind enhanced fireballs, _'Damn, I told him come at me with the intent to kill and boy is he delivering.' _The Toad Sage's thoughts were interrupted as his defense was demolished by a quick blast of gravity. "No more playing around," mumbled Jiraiya before speeding through a set of seals and ending with the snake seal. "Doton: Earth Dragon Bomb," a large dragon head made of mug formed next to Jiraiya at started firing multiple small mud balls at Naruto.

'_I hope this works,' _thought Naruto as he went through another chain of seals, "Raiton: Lightning Slash." His right hand erupted with lightning, swinging it towards the incoming projectiles; he launched a wave of lighting, effectively nullifying the Doton jutsu. Not wanting to give his sensei another chance to attack, he held his left hand out towards him, "Banshou Tenin." The effect was instantaneous; Jiraiya was pulled towards the waiting blonde who drew a kunai with his free hand. While in midflight, Jiraiya managed to form a few seals for one of his favorite defenses.

"Ninpou: Needle Jizo," said Jiraiya just as he was within striking distance. His hair elongated and surrounded his body before hardening into sharp needles. Naruto barely had a second to react as the massive ball of spikes flew towards him. Abandoning his first plan, he rolled out of the way of his sensei's airborne form, though he didn't get away without injury. A few of the hair needles managed to catch him in the side, drawing a little blood and shredding part of his shirt in the process. Jiraiya ended his jutsu and rolled once to right himself before turning to face his student, only to see a two headed dog the size of a horse charging him. "Oh I am so making him pay for this," said Jiraiya as he jumped into one of the trees to avoid being eaten. Speeding through a short chain of hand seals, Jiraiya jumped behind the summons, "Ninpou: Needle Hell." Once again his hair elongated but this time instead of forming a defense, countless needles shot from the mane of white and impaled the dog in the back, dispelling it.

Now Jiraiya was on alert, he had fought that dog of Naruto's once before and it had the ability to keep dividing itself the more it was attacked. _'The only way for that dog to dispel is if you hit all of the heads at once, or Naruto dispels it willingly,' _thought Jiraiya as he looked around for his student. _'What the hell is he planning?' _unfortunately for Jiraiya, he got his answer as two hands burst out of the ground and grabbed onto his ankles. "Doton: Headhunter Jutsu," said the voice of Naruto as Jiraiya was pulled underground. Naruto rose from the ground himself to inspect his work only to find Jiraiya's head not sticking out of the ground. "What, how'd he get away?"

"Doton: Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu," said Jiraiya's voice before he jumped out of the ground in front of Naruto and delivered a right hook that sent the blonde flying into a tree on the other side of the clearing. Naruto rubbed his head as he sat up against the tree he was sent into, "I think's that enough for now gaki. You did well; you showed a very interesting number of very effective strategies. Your elemental manipulation has also improved, but you're still lacking in your Suiton and your Doton and Raiton could use some more work as well. Your Katon and Fuuton are advanced and you've worked out ways to make up for that lack of power by combining them, but you still need to increase their individual strength over all."

"Got it sensei," said Naruto, still nursing the lump on his head. "If that's all sensei, I'm gonna head back to the hideout and rest for a bit," with that said he slowly got up and started walking towards the hideout.

Jiraiya smirked at his students retreating form before taking out a kunai and cutting his left palm. "Kinjutsu: Blood Clone," said Jiraiya after going through a short chain of seals. A small amount of blood fell from his wound and slowly began growing and taking form. Once the jutsu was complete, Jiraiya was looking at an exact duplicate of himself, "You know what to do, keep an eye on them and train them a little bit before they begin the mission to Kusagakure."

"Got it," said the clone before jumping into the trees to return to the hideout. The original Jiraiya stayed in the clearing for a little longer, mentally deciding which of his two targets he should find first. Making his decision, Jiraiya sped away at top speed, heading towards the Land of Fire to begin his search for his first target. _'I can only hope she agrees to help us,' _thought Jiraiya as made his way through the trees.

_Hideout- a few hours later_

Gaara had just woken up and for the first time in his life, he felt truly refreshed and ready for anything. When he exited the room he was sleeping in, he found Naruto and Jiraiya sitting on the semi-circle couch watching the monitors. Jiraiya was the first to notice his presence, and beckoned him to join them on the couch.

"So how was your nap Gaara?" asked Jiraiya with a small smirk. Gaara couldn't keep the pleasant smile off of his face as he answered.

"Wonderful, I'm looking forward to the next time I can sleep." Naruto and Jiraiya chuckled a little at that comment, it wasn't every day you met someone who actually wanted to sleep as often as he could, unless of course you live in Konoha and know a Nara.

"Well that will have to wait for a while, you two have a few missions to do while the real me is away," said the Blood Clone. At Gaara's questioning gaze, the clone began to explain the situation to the Ichibi jinchuuriki with Naruto helping out every now and then. After the explanation, the clone began to tell them what they would be doing before they left for their mission. "You two need to train as a team before we can begin the mission; also Gaara needs to practice with controlling his sand and not just letting it act on its own." The two nine year olds nodded together and the three left the hideout to train shortly after.

For the rest of the day, and a good portion of the next day, Naruto and Gaara trained together, running through multiple scenarios and combat situations. They also worked on their individual skills with Gaara managing to gain a good grasp of control his sand at his will, though it still retained its protective nature and would go against Gaara's will if it meant keeping him safe. Naruto, thanks to the help of a handful of shadow clones, had managed to increase his Fuuton and Katon manipulation to a point that he could control the wind around him to an extent without the use of a jutsu and he could also create a small flame with his chakra alone.

Currently the two young shinobi were in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by Jiraiya clones. They were working on fighting off multiple enemies at once while at the same time covering for each other. With a quick nod to each other, Gaara launched a wave of sand towards the clones while Naruto used the chance to launch a Katon-Fuuton combination in the opposite direction, taking out a good number of clones.

From up in a tree, Jiraiya's blood clone watched on in mild surprise as the two boys tore through the ranks of his clones with relative ease. _'Incredible, each of those clones was fighting with the skill of a seasoned chuunin and those two are just demolishing them as if it were nothing. Their stronger together than I gave them credit for, they haven't even been training together for twenty-four hours yet and their skills as a team are already advanced enough that can tell what the other is thinking with just a glance.' _The blood clone's thoughts were halted as the last of his clones were defeated and the two boys were standing back to back, waiting for another attack. "That's enough for now you two; I think you're more than ready for this first mission," said the clone as he jumped down in front of the boys.

The two smiled slightly at the praise, "So when do we leave to begin the mission sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Now," said the clone, surprising the two boys, "Kusagakure is a few hours travel from here, but when we arrive, you two will be on your own, I will only step in if one of you is about to die, understand?" the two nodded in understanding, they knew that once they began the mission it was all on them. "Good, Naruto summon a few birds and we'll be on our way." The blonde jinchuuriki quickly complied and summoned three birds for them to ride and no sooner had they all got on a bird, then did they launch into the air towards Kusagakure.

_Land of Grass- Poison Research Lab_

It had taken longer than they thought to find the Research Lab due to the over grown foliage that acted as a natural defense. The Lab itself was a simple building that appeared very similar to a small apartment complex in design. "Alright you two, you're on your on from here on out," said the blood clone before he disappeared into the foliage. The two jinchuuriki looked at one another before nodding and jumping away towards the Research Lab.

They stopped on a branch over-looking the Lab, but still well within the shadows and out of sight. "So what's the plan Naruto?" asked Gaara, having no problems taking orders from his brother.

Naruto looked at Gaara in mild surprise, "What, why are you asking me?"

Gaara just gave him a deadpanned expression, "You are the more experienced of the two of us, also you hold the most powerful of the nine bijuu and will become the most powerful of the jinchuuriki. You are an obvious choice to be the leader of not only this mission, but also the rest of the jinchuuriki when we are all together."

"If you say so Gaara," Naruto said with a shake of his head, before refocusing on the Lab and the shinobi guarding it. "It seems there are about eight or so guards, all of them appear to be chuunin level. But they most likely have a way to communicate with the village if they need reinforcements. Our best bet at getting this done is to take them all out at the same time and quickly detain the scientists so they can't call for help either." Gaara nodded in agreement and was about to move his sand to take out the guards but was stopped by Naruto. "Gaara don't, you sand will be easily noticed and we don't know if they have reinforcements waiting inside either. We can't make a move against them without knowing everything we absolutely can about them, that was the first thing Jiraiya-sensei taught me, to know everything you can about your enemy and to make sure they know nothing about you. We weren't given a deadline to complete the mission, so we don't have to rush into anything unprepared. For now we'll split up and scout the area for potential traps while my summons and clones infiltrate the Lab." Flipping through the familiar hand signs for summoning, Naruto slammed his hand on the ground and in a poof of smoke, six small rats appeared, each with a tiny level one Rinnegan in their eyes. Turning to his fellow jinchuuriki, Naruto formed a familiar cross shaped hand sign. "Meet back here once your done scouting, we'll plan our next move from there," Gaara nodded before jumping off to search, "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Five more Naruto's appeared in a poof of smoke, "You know what to do," said the original as the five clones nodded before jumping away.

Once he was alone, Naruto sat down in a meditative position, his eyes closing as he prepared to test a theory about the Rinnegan, or to be more precise, his Animal Path. Chakra began to leak from his closed eyes as he focused on the link he felt with each of his animal summons. Slowly he began to open his eyes, only to find himself staring at the Research Lab. But something was different; the lab seemed to have more than quadrupled in size along with the shinobi guarding the outside of the lab. Running over to small puddle near the base of a tree, Naruto looked at his reflection and was mentally jumping around in excitement. He did it, his theory was correct; he had managed to transfer his consciousness to one of his summons. Staring back at him from the surface of the water was the small reflection of a rat with a tiny Rinnegan in its eyes. _'Now, to finish the mission,' _thought Naruto as he scampered away towards the Research Lab.

It didn't take him long to find a way into the lab, the outside of the building was slightly run down and had a multitude of small openings for his new rat body to squeeze through. It also helped that the chuunin guards seemed more interested in their game of cards then actually keeping watch over the lab. _'Man, why is it that most chuunin assigned to guard something are lazy as hell?' _thought Naruto as he shook his head at the attitude that seemed to appear in almost every ninja he had seen. His thoughts were interrupted as he found himself in a shadowed corner of the lab. Focusing some chakra to his paws, he quickly scaled the wall an hid in some shadows on the ceiling. _'Not like I even need to bother hiding in the shadows, these guys wouldn't notice me even I were to walk right in the front door and start shouting at them.'_

From his vantage on the ceiling, Naruto could see just about everything there was inside the lab. The inside of the lab was just one big room with the only doors in sight being those for what he assumed was a restroom and a heavy metal door that no doubt led to the vault. Seven scientist were scattered all around the lab, some taking notes, others mixing different substances together. On the far wall from the main door was a radio transmitter that was no doubt used to communicate with the village in case of emergencies. _'Hmm, we need to take out that transmitter before they have a chance to call for help,' _taking another quick glance around the room, Naruto focused on his real body and soon found himself looking at the outside of the lab from his place on a tree branch. "Whoa," said Naruto as he stumbled slightly as he stood up, "That's going to take some getting used to."

After righting himself and refocusing on the task at hand, he began use the optical link of the Rinnegan and began to see things from his clones' point of view. _'Alright, that hatch on the roof will work as our entrance point. Now all I have to do is wait for…' _his thoughts trailed off as the red haired jinchuuriki landed next to him. "…Gaara. So what did you find?"

Gaara shook his head slightly, "No traps of any kind, and no reinforcements or patrols in sight. I guess Jiraiya-sama wasn't kidding when he said this was one of the more minor Research Labs, there's hardly any kind of security around this place."

"Yeah, your right, from what I found out there's only seven scientists here and no other shinobi inside waiting as back up. Also they do have a radio to communicate with the village, but it's on the far wall away from any of them. Once we eliminate the guards, we'll enter through the roof and from there we can easily destroy the radio and interrogate the scientists once their restrained." Gaara nodded in understanding and turned to focus on the chuunin guarding the lab. "I'll take care of them, ready your sand to restrain the scientist once we enter," said Naruto as he gave a quick mental command to his clones and pulled out two kunai. "Stay close," he said before he started running up the tree they were on, Gaara hot on his heels. Once they reached the top, Naruto jumped off towards the roof of the lab. Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow in surprise but followed nonetheless. Once he was airborne, his brother's plan became obvious, all of his clones had done the same thing they had and with a few quick flicks of the wrist, they threw their kunai down on the unsuspecting chuunin.

Not wanting there to be any chance of someone surviving, Gaara condensed some of his sand into shuriken and launched them at the chuunin as well. The guards never knew what hit them, six fell to the kunai and the remaining two were impaled by the sand shuriken before they had a chance to react. With the guards out of the picture, Naruto dispelled his clones and focused on altering the gravity around the two to soften their landing. Their descent began to slow and soon the two landed on the roof of the lab with a soft thud.

"Nice work with the gravity," said Gaara as they moved towards the hatch on the roof.

"Thanks, and good follow up with the sand shuriken, that saved us a lot of trouble," said Naruto as he bent down and grasped the handle on the hatch. "Ready?"

Gaara nodded, "Do it." With a quick jerk the hatch was opened and the two nine year old shinobi jumped down into the lab, shocking the scientists inside. Not wasting any time, Gaara sent his sand out to restrain the scientist while Naruto launched a small Katon jutsu to destroy the radio transmitter. Once that was taken care of the two shinobi moved towards their captives.

"Now, I'm only going to ask this once," said Naruto as he pulled out a kunai and put in at one of the scientists throat, "Tell us everything there is to know about this place." For a moment no one said anything, they all just stared at the two children that had single handedly taken over their lab. Getting annoyed with the stares, Gaara tightened his sand around them while Naruto dug his kunai into the scientist's neck, drawing some blood. That brook the captives out of their shock and they began telling the two everything. Once they knew everything about the lab itself, Naruto sent two clones to check the vault and the other door in the room.

To their surprise, the vault was extremely large, taking up about a quarter of the entire space inside the building. All along the shelves were vials, beakers and a few crates, each with a poison inside it of varying colors. On the back wall were all of the notes on how to make the poisons, as well as notes on their effects from past experiments. Creating a few more clones, Naruto sent them to begin sealing everything into scrolls for transport back to the hideout.

The clone that checked the other door was even more surprised. Instead of the restroom they had been expecting, it turned out that the room was the storage room for all of their ingredients. Not willing to let anything be wasted, Naruto also sent some clones to seal everything in their as well. Once they had everything they needed, Naruto dispelled his clones and took out a few small pieces of paper. The papers each had a seal on it and in short work, the young blonde had one of the seals placed on each of the scientist's foreheads.

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the seal tags, "Since when have you been able to make seals?"

Naruto merely gave his brother a light punch on the shoulder, "I didn't make these, Jiraiya-sensei always keeps a good stock of seals handy in case of emergencies. These particular ones I nabbed from his room at the hideout."

Gaara simply brushed the punch off but gave his fellow jinchuuriki an incredulous look at that last part. "You took those from Jiraiya-sama's personal stash? You do realize when he finds out he's going to rant and rave right?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to brush something off, "Yeah, yeah, he probably will, but given the circumstances I'll think he'll make an exception."

Gaara merely shook his head at his brothers attitude, "Anyway, what do these seals do?"

"They're Mind Erasing Seals, Jiraiya-sensei created them to help out with his infiltration missions. If he were ever caught, he would just stick one of these the persons head and erase their memories of him; which is what I'm doing right now," said Naruto as he formed the ram sign. The seals tag began to glow a dim blue while all of the scientist's eyes glazed over before they slumped over, unconscious. "Now that that's taken care of, let's report back to Jiraiya-sensei's clone, our first mission is officially complete."

**R&R PLEASE!**

**I have no doubt that many of you are not to happy about the update rate of this story and my other stories, but I have my reasons. One of them happens to be review responses. I usually wait a week to see how many reviews I get for the story and if it's a good amount, I'll update sooner. If it's a smaller number...well you know that the updates won't come as quick.  
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**Anyway, until next time my friends!  
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******BSW**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well guys, I'm back with another chapter. Now the only reason this chapter is out so soon is because my brain just wouldn't stop coming up with ideas for this story and I had to get all of them down before I lost them. That said, before I update again I would like to have at the minimum of 25 reviews for either this chapter or the story in general.  
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**On another note, some people believe I am over powering Konoha somewhat. Well here is my argument; it may seem like I am over powering Konoha but lets look at a few facts. One: in both the manga and anime, jounin's like Kakashi, Guy and Asuma were seen fighting against and EASILY winning against multiple Oto and Suna shinobi.  
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**Two: Supposed 'genin' like Sasuke and Naruto have defeated enemies like Haku, and somewhat held their own against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, even though he was toying with them.  
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**Three: Even though it was during the Shippuden Era, Asuma was able to go toe to toe with Hidan. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kakashi and Guy fought against and held their own against FIVE of the reincarnated jinchuuriki in their final cloaked form.  
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**They already possessed these powers in canon, I am just having them show it much earlier than Kishimoto did.  
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**Kamen Rider Arashi- Thanks for the complement, I felt it was a good idea cause, like you, I haven't found a story that show's a Rinnegan user seeing through their summons. As to your suggestion about the Asura Path, it is a very interesting prospect, but I would prefer to keep the abilities of Naruto's Rinnegan as similar as possible to what is shown in canon and on the Naruto wikia ( .com). Though I do have an idea of something that your idea could be used with.  
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**Guest-You bring up a good point with Yugito's age. As in Kumo's Black Fox, she will be Naruto's age. Though I enjoy reading stories where is with an older women, I'm not the greatest at writing myself.  
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**If I owned Naruto, would I really be writing fanfiction?  
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**Chapter 6- Sannin Reunion, Tsunade's Decision**

A blur sped across the calm landscape that was the forests of Land of Fire, its movements not even disturbing the tiniest of leaves. _'Dammit Tsunade, I thought I was supposed to be the best at covering my tracks,' _thought Jiraiya with a half smirk, half frown. It had been three days since his search for Tsunade started, three days of searching every casino and gambling hall he could find with almost no trace of the Slug Sannin anywhere. _'The only decent lead I have on her right now is that she is definitely in Land of Fire, which isn't helping!' _screamed the Toad Sage in his head as he stopped on branch to try and collect his thoughts.

'_Ok, calm down Jiraiya, getting worked up over this isn't going to help,' _he thought as he took a few calming breaths. Once he managed to get control over his emotions again he began to go over everything he knew about Tsunade, and what she could possibly be doing in Land of Fire, one of her least favorite places on the planet, second only to Konoha. _'Alright, with her personality, no matter how much she hates a place, she could never deny someone medical help if they asked her. That's a possibility, but a slim one, no one would search out Tsunade unless they knew for a fact she was near enough to help,' _thought Jiraiya, mentally moving that option to the back of his mind. _'If she isn't healing someone, then what else could possibly draw her back to Land of Fire; the only thing I can think of would be…A HUGE GAMBLING SCORE!' _Jiraiya's eyes shot open as he reached into his red vest and pulled out a small book and started flipping through it.

"How the hell could I have forgotten about that, there's no way she would ever miss a chance like that!" said Jiraiya out loud as he continued to mentally curse himself for forgetting. Finally stopping on the page he was looking for, Jiraiya read over the page before snapping the book shut and resuming his sprint across Land of Fire. "I got you now Tsunade, there's no way you could resist the call of Tanzaku Gai's Jackpot Lottery," whispered Jiraiya with a triumphant smirk on his face as he sped up, not wanting to waste any more time in finding his old team mate.

_With Konoha's Tracking Squad_

"God dammit, still nothing," mumbled Ookami Inuzuka as he and Tsume continued to sniff the air around them with their partners doing the same. "Shibi, any news from your bugs?" he asked turning to the Aburame head.

Shibi stopped on a branch, his team mates halting their progress as well. Placing his hands in the Ram seal, the Aburame took a moment to focus his chakra before placing his right hand on the surface of the branch he was on, "Secret Jutsu: Insect Gathering." The other members of the tracking squad watched on as a web of chakra spread out from Shibi's hand, vaguely reminiscent of a spider wed. Nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds before several termites burrowed their way out of the tree branch. Shortly following the termites, multiple insects ranging from a simple beetle to the deadly tarantula started to gather around Shibi, silently feeding off his chakra as payment for the knowledge they were giving him.

After a few minutes of silence, Shibi silently ended the jutsu after thanking the insects for their help. Turning to his current team, Shibi raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the famous Shisui Uchiha twitching slightly. "Is something wrong, Uchiha-san?" he asked in typical Aburame fashion, monotonous. This got Ookami and Tsume's attention as they looked over at the youngest member of their team. Sure enough, there stood the famed and feared Shisui of the Shunshin, standing rooted on the spot, his body twitching at random.

Shisui tried to retain his calm, cool Uchiha mask as he turned away from his team and continued on the way they had been moving. The three jounin heard a faint "I am not the biggest fan of spiders," before the dark haired youth jumped away.

In his wake, he left behind two shocked Inuzuka's who were having a hard time picking their jaws up off the forest floor. Shibi merely raised his other eyebrow to join the first in the Aburame equivalent of shocked. Ookami was the first one to recover and had to shake his head a few times to clear it, "Ughhh, correct me if I'm wrong, but was that prideful Uchiha speech for, 'I'm shit faced scared of spiders'?" Tsume and Shibi could do little more than nod in agreement with that statement, before they all jumped off to catch up with their team mate. Though they seemed calm on the outside, on the inside each one was cracking up at the little tidbit of information they had just discovered.

Getting control of his inner laughter, Ookami turned to Shibi, a silent question in his eyes. Nodding in acknowledgement that he understood, Shibi began to recount what he had learned from the insects. "It seems Tsunade passed through here not long ago, many of the insects remember seeing someone who matches her description as well as feeling an immense chakra within the person. According to what they told me she and a traveling companion of hers were heading in the direction of Tanzaku Gai."

"Tanzaku Gai huh, not surprising. That place is known for its casino's and gambling halls, with a gambling addiction like hers she probably frequents the place." The other three Konoha shinobi nodded in agreement with Tsume's statement and changed course slightly in the direction of Tanzaku Gai.

_Tanzaku Gai- Lucky Dragon Casino_

Sitting at the end of a poker table, a half empty bottle of sake in front of her was none other than Tsunade Senju, the famed Slug Princess of Konoha. Sitting next to her was her apprentice Shizune, holding her pet pig Tonton. It had been two days since they had arrived in Tanzaku Gai, and in that time Tsunade had done nothing but gamble and drink. However, instead of living up to her title as 'The Legendary Sucker,' she had won about of the times she gambled. Normally when she won so much money in one place it usually foretold disaster in some shape or form.

But this time was different, when she won her first large pot at the tables when she arrive she was ready to high tale it over to Land of Grass, but when she lost the next few rounds she dismissed it as one of her random fluke wins. That was how the last two days had gone for her, she would win a couple of large pots but then she would lose the next few hands before repeating the process. Shizune was of course thrilled that her master was winning so, any time they won some money it was another debt that was paid off and one less person chasing after them for money.

'_But still,' _thought Tsunade as she discarded two cards and picked up two more from the dealer, _'Why can't I shake this feeling that something isn't right?' _Looking at her hand one more time, the feeling she was having grew a little more. Placing her royal flush on the table, Tsunade watched as the dealer pushed all of the chips in the pot over to her. _'Something is definitely wrong,' _thought the Slug Sannin as she added the pile of chips to the ones she already had, the entire stack worth over two-hundred thousand yen. "Shizune, we're leav…" she was interrupted when a spot light appeared on the stage and the casino manager walked up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the time you all have been waiting for is finally here! It's time to announce the winning numbers for this year's Tanzaku Gai Jackpot Lottery!" every patron in the casino cheered loudly at the announcement. Tsunade slowly pulled her lottery ticket out of her jacket and looked at the numbers she had chosen, 6-1-12-9-27 and her bonus number 51. She turned her attention back to the stage when the manager started talking again. "Alright folks, the first winning number is…6!" he said after picking a random ball out of the mixer. A chorus of loud groans followed this as people ripped up their useless tickets. "The second number is…1!"

'_What, I got the first two numbers right?' _thought Tsunade as a feeling of dread started growing inside of her.

"The third number…12!"

'_Three numbers right?' _Tsunade was starting to shake slightly, catching her apprentice's attention. Now Shizune may like it when her master wins some money, but even she couldn't ignore the fact that whenever Tsunade won something big, it always meant trouble was coming.

"The next one…9!" shouted the manager to even more groans of disappointment.

'_Oh no,' _thought the two medics simultaneously, _'Please, please don't let the next number be a…'_

"27!" the two medic's hearts almost stopped when the manager told everyone the last number. "And last but not least, the bonus number is…51!"

This time their hearts really did stop, even if it was only for a split second. Tsunade couldn't believe that she had the winning ticket to the three-hundred billion yen jackpot. That was more than enough to pay off her debts and allow her and Shizune to live the rest of their lives happy. It took a whole five minutes for the two medics to get over their shock, but the second were able to move again, they were out the door and moving to the village gates as fast as their legs would carry them. _'No, no, no, no, no, this isn't good, we have got to get out of here before something disastrous happens!' _thought Tsunade as she pushed as much chakra as she could into her legs to increase her speed, Shizune not far behind her. Once they cleared the walls of the village, they wasted no time in jumping into the forest surrounding them and moving towards the border of Land of Fire at speeds that would have Might Guy impressed.

An hour after the two medics left Tanzaku Gai, they felt it was safe enough to slow down and continue at a much more sedate pace. But just as they were stopping, a red and white blur shot past them and stop on a branch a few yards in front of them; still riled up from earlier events, Tsunade immediately fell into a defensive stance, her right hand glowing with green chakra. Shizune was only a split second slower than her master, putting Tonton on the branch next to her and readying her hidden senbon launcher.

Before either of the kunoichi could make a move, a small chuckle came from the person standing in opposite them. "Now, now Tsunade-hime, is that anyway to great an old friend and comrade?"

Recognizing the voice, Tsunade lowered her guard slightly and actually took the chance to get a good look at the person in front of her. "Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked bewildered.

Unable to resist some playful banter with his former team mate, Jiraiya put on a face of mock hurt while placing his hand over his heart. "You wound me Tsunade-hime, can't an old friend drop in and reminisce about the good old days with one of his closest friends?" said the Toad Sage, trying and failing to hide his amusement.

Recognizing what her old team mate was doing, Tsunade's look of shock was immediately replaced with a frown and a small glare, "Cut the crap baka, what are you doing here?" Before her team mate had a chance to answer, Tsunade's mind momentarily jumped back to the winning lotto ticket in her jacket pocket. Tsunade being, well Tsunade, immediately jumped to the first conclusion that made since; "If you're here to try and convince me to return to Konoha then forget it. Tell that old fool of a kage that trained us that I don't want anything to do with that place."

Of all of the responses Tsunade, and to an extent Shizune had expected, the one they got was not what they were expecting. Instead of getting slightly miffed at his team mate for insulting the Sandaime, the man Jiraiya considered a father, said Toad Sage just started to give a dark chuckle. "So you don't want anything to do with that traitorous bastard either? Good, that should make the reason for this visit all the easier," he said, shocking Tsunade and Shizune to the core.

"Wha…what do you mean Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune, her shock at the turn of events leaking into her voice. Jiraiya merely chuckled again before looking the two women in the eye, all traces of his happy and a loft personality gone.

"He betrayed me," was the Toad Sage's simple response, though the malice in his voice was plain for all to hear.

Now if Tsunade and Shizune thought they were shocked before, then apparently they didn't understand what shocked meant. It was well known throughout the Elemental Nations that the Sandaime Hokage was one of the most kind-hearted people on the planet. Some would even go so far as to say that he was to kind-hearted, letting people off with warnings and giving one to many second chances. To hear Jiraiya, a man who almost worshiped the Sandaime when he was younger speak of the man in such a way was overwhelming to say the least.

Still struggling to understand what the hell was happening; Tsunade spoke up in a shaky voice, "What do you mean Jiraiya? How did Sarutobi-sensei betray you?"

Jiraiya's eyes hardened at the mention of his old teacher's name, "Never," he spat, "Mention that bastards name in my presence again Tsunade." Tsunade actually took a step back at the tone in Jiraiya's voice. Seeing the effect his attitude was having on his former team mate, Jiraiya took a few breaths before continuing. "Tell me Tsunade; did anything happen about a year or so ago? A huge gambling score maybe?"

It took a moment for Tsunade to recompose herself, but once she had some control over her emotions, what Jiraiya said caused her eyes to widen. Seeing his team mate's reaction, Jiraiya let a small smirk cross his lips, "I take it something did happen, am I right?"

"Yeah," Tsunade said slowly, "We were in the Land of Tea; I won a huge pot at the poker tables that nearly paid off half of my debts." Tsunade trailed off slightly as her mind went back to that day, how ecstatic she had been at winning so much and how terrified she had been for the next few weeks afterward. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," said Jiraiya, "Tsunade, every time you have ever won a large amount of money gambling, it always seemed to happen before something disastrous happened, whether it affected you or not. That pot you won in the Land of Tea was no different. One year ago, the Sandaime assigned six of his shinobi a mission to assassinate someone…they failed. Though they were told to assassinate the person that was not the true purpose of the mission, the true purpose of the mission was to force the target to awaken a kekkei genkai long thought to be nothing more than myth."

Tsunade's eyes widen in understanding, her mind flashing back to times during the Second Great Shinobi World War. Shizune though, had a look of confusion on her face, "What kekkei genkai are you talking about Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and noticed her wide eyes, turning back to the younger medic, his tone was eerily calm, "A kekkei genkai of unmatched power, the one that completes the triad of dojutsu's known to the world, the eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths himself, the Rinnegan."

Shizune's world came to a crashing halt at what she had just heard. She may have been young, but even she knew the stories of the revered shinobi, a man who many believed was nothing more than legend. While her apprentice was trying to come to grips with the information she had been given, Tsunade turned her still wide eyes to Jiraiya.

"Who?" was all she could say as her voice betrayed her.

Jiraiya met Tsunade's gaze, "Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

"What!" screamed Tsunade as her mind was on information overload, she knew that Minato and Kushina were expecting, but she was too far away to reach them to help with the birthing at the time. When she had learned that both Minato and Kushina had died sealing the Kyuubi into a newborn Naruto, she sank into even lower levels of depression. That was the day she had vowed that no matter what, she would never return to Konoha, the day the last bit of happiness was taken from her. "Are you saying that that bastard tried to have Naruto killed just to see if he would awaken the Rinnegan?" at Jiraiya's nod, the feared Slug Sannin lost all since of control on her emotions and delivered a super powered chakra punch to the tree she was standing on. The poor tree didn't stand a chance, the second Tsunade's fist made contact with the bark, the entire top half of the tree was launched into the trees surrounding it, resulting in a domino like effect.

Once he was sure, it was safe for him to speak again, Jiraiya continued, "Tsunade-hime," he said, his tone softer and more caring, "Naruto hasn't known the love of a mother since he was born, though it won't get rid of the scars in his heart, maybe the love of a Godmother could at least make them easier to bare."

Tsunade's rage, which had been steadily growing the more she thought about what her former sensei had done, was quickly replaced by hope. Hope that she finally had a chance to atone for her mistake of not trying to care for Naruto when he was younger. Looking into her team mates eyes, Tsunade nodded in agreement, "Take me to him."

Letting a small smile cross his lips, Jiraiya motioned for them to follow him, "Don't worry Tsunade, you'll be able to see him soon. But before that, we have some other business to take care of." The two medics gave the white haired Sannin a look of confusion, but before either of them could voice their thoughts, all three of them were forced to jump out of the way a large fireball. The three startled ninja quickly made it to a nearby clearing and waited for their attackers to show themselves.

They didn't have to wait long as six blurs jumped from the forest in front of them and stopped a couple yards in front of them. The group of people before them was not what they were expecting to see. Ookami, Tsume, and Shibi were by far the most skilled trackers in Konoha's ranks and easily recognizable to anyone. The last member of the team was the one that surprised them the most, the boy may not have been any older than sixteen, but he was already a recognizable shinobi inside of Land of Fire. Shisui Uchiha, one of the two rising geniuses of the Uchiha clan stood facing two members of the former Sannin with absolutely no fear, or any emotion for that matter, visible on his face.

As the leader of the team, Ookami was the first to speak, _'Damn, so much for getting her to come willingly, oh well I always did like a challenge.' _"Tsunade Senju, by order of the Sandaime Hokage you are to return to Konoha with us at once. Once we have returned you will face trial for associating with the S-ranked rogue ninja, Jiraiya."

Tsunade merely raised an eyebrow at that last bit, "S-ranked rogue ninja Jiraiya, with your skills I would have at least expected you to be given the SS-rank."

Jiraiya merely chuckled at Tsunade's statement while he slid into a loose fighting stance, "Hey don't blame me, I'm not the one who assigned the ranking; but that's beside the point. Come on; let's take care of these guys so we can get back to business." Not needing any more prompting. Tsunade and Shizune both fell into their own stances as they prepared for the fight about to begin.

Opposite them, Ookami and Tsume both got into the basic Inuzuka stance, their partners at the ready beside them. Shibi made no outward sign that he was ready to fight, but unlike most, everyone in the clearing could tell he was already planning out a few strategies. Shisui slipped into the Uchiha Interceptor taijutsu stance, his fully matured Sharingan shining in his eyes.

Neither side moved, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Holding true to their clan's tendency to be impatient, Ookami and Tsume were the first ones attack. With a dual shout of, "Passing Fang," the patriarch and matriarch of the Inuzuka clan launched themselves towards their opponents, each spinning like a drill.

"I'll take care of these two, I'm the most advanced in taijutsu out of the three of us," said Tsunade before she jumped towards the oncoming attacks both her index fingers extended. Swinging her arms up, the Slug Sannin sent the two Inuzuka's flying almost perpendicular to the ground. Before she had a chance to follow up on her attack, Tsunade was forced to avoid a pair of jaws that would have ripped her right arm clean off, courtesy Shiromaru. "Damn mutt, why don't you just keel over like the mongrel you are!?"

Bringing her leg up, Tsunade slammed it down onto the head of the white wolf-like dog. Instead of the crunching sound of the dog's skull shattering, Tsunade's attack was met with a log splintering into thousands of little pieces. _'What the hell; how can a ninken use a substitution like that?' _thought Tsunade in surprise. Looking over to where the two Inuzuka's had landed, Tsunade was met with the sight of two Ookami Inuzuka's charging her with their claws at the ready. Ducking under the swipe of the Ookami on her left, she used the opportunity to deliver at side kick to one on her right. It was only thanks to his innate animal instincts and reflex's that spared Ookami from being bisected at the hip by the legendary strength of the Slug Sannin.

'_Dammit it, how the hell did she know I was the real one?' _thought Ookami as he and the transformed Shiromaru regrouped with Tsume and Kuromaru.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Tsunade answered his unasked question, "Your clan's Man-Beast Clone technique won't be of much help against me. In case you forget, I am known as the greatest medical ninja of all time for a reason. I can sense out a fading chakra signature a hundred yards away among the corpses of countless shinobi, telling the difference between a human and a transformed mutt isn't that hard."

"Damn," muttered Tsume as she knelt next to Kuromaru, "She's right, and with one of our clan's most effective techniques pretty much nullified, defeating her is going to be twice as hard as we thought."

Ookami merely nodded in agreement, his eyes never wavering from his opponent, "Yeah, but we have the advantage in numbers, and that is our clan's greatest weapon, our ability to work and fight together is unmatched by any." Tsume smirked at her husband's words, he was right, a single Inuzuka and their partner could easily fend ten foes alone. With two Inuzuka's and the two most powerful ninken in the Inuzuka clan, their chances for winning were looking pretty good. "Shiromaru and I will move in first, you and Kuromaru attack when you see an opening, after that we'll overwhelm her and capture her." At his wife's nod, Ookami and the transformed Shiromaru charged back in, fully intent on winning the fight no matter the cost.

_With Jiraiya and Shizune_

"Shizune, stay back and let Tsunade and I do most of the fighting. Hang back and provide support if you see an opening, got it?" said Jiraiya, getting a quick nod from the young medic. Once Shizune was clear, Jiraiya turned back to his opponents and immediately charged in with taijutsu. Going for Shisui first, the Toad Sage jumped to deliver and flying spin kick to the young Uchiha's head. Living up to his reputation, Shisui used an almost instantaneous shunshin to dodge the attack. Expecting as much, Jiraiya threw a few shuriken in the direction he sensed Shisui's chakra signature appear.

Shibi, taking advantage of the rather large opening Jiraiya left in guard, pulled his right hand out of his pocket and a swarm of Kikaichu engulfed the Toad Sage. Unfortunately for Shibi, the Jiraiya his Kikaichu had attacked disappeared in a poof of smoke. _'Shadow Clone, when did he…' _the Aburame heads thoughts were cut off as he was forced to dodge a barrage of mud balls. Turning in the direction the attack had come from, Shibi saw Shisui appearing above the mud dragon head before cutting it half with his wind infused tanto.

With the dragon head destroyed, the two Konoha shinobi quickly moved back to back, not willing to risk a surprise attack from the Toad Sage. Before either of them had a chance to react, well over a dozen elongated tongues brock through the surface of the ground and wrapped around them. Shisui wasted little time in escaping from his bindings with a shunshin, appearing a few feet away from the still bound Shibi. Bringing his tanto up, the young Uchiha channeled his wind chakra into it and prepared to free his comrade from the tongues. Before the teen had a chance to make his move, Jiraiya jumped out of the ground in front of him, a spinning orb of chakra in his hand.

"Rasengan!" said Jiraiya as he shoved the ultimate technique of shape manipulation into the Uchiha's gut. Shisui was sent flying across the clearing from the force of the impact, his flight only ending when his back collided with a tree with a sickening crunch. Turning to his still trapped opponent, Jiraiya began preparing another Rasengan when an all too familiar popping sound came from behind him. Whirling around, the Toad Sage noticed the last bits of smoke dissipating from the shadow clone dispelling. _'Damn that brat and his cursed eyes to hell!' _thought Jiraiya as he turned to face his captive just in time to see his summons dispelling in poofs of smoke and Shisui appearing in front of him.

Thanks to his years of battle experience, Jiraiya was just able to avoid having his head removed from his shoulders by the Uchiha's wind infused tanto. Deciding a small retreat was in order, Jiraiya used his own shunshin to appear next to Shizune at the edge of the clearing.

"Are you alright Jiraiya-sama?" asked the medic as she did a quick diagnostic jutsu on him.

"Yeah, but this turning out to be harder than I expected; Shibi won't be a problem, I just have to get him to stand still for a few seconds, it's Shisui that's going be difficult. With his Sharingan he'll be able to see most of my attacks before I have chance to make them," said Jiraiya as he observed the two Konoha shinobi who had regrouped. "But something's off about that kid," Jiraiya said, more to himself than anything.

"What do you mean Jiraiya-sama?"

"Other than that initial fireball he used in the forest, and his few shunshin's, Shisui hasn't used any jutsu at all during the fight," said Jiraiya while Shizune's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You're right, but what could he gain by not using any jutsu against you?" mumbled Shizune as she focused her chakra and used her abilities as a sensor to feel Shisui's chakra levels. The medic's eyes flew open when she felt the massive amounts of chakra that the Uchiha was gathering in his eyes. "Jiraiya-sama, be careful, he's sending an incredibly large amount of chakra to his eyes. He might be planning on using some kind of genjutsu."

Jiraiya stayed silent for a few seconds as he factored that piece of information into his battle plan. "Thanks Shizune, be ready, when I give you an opening use the deadliest poison you can produce and cover all three of us with it."

"But you could die as well Jiraiya-sama, I can't do that!"

"That's an order Shizune!" said Jiraiya his tone leaving no room for argument. "Don't worry about me, just make sure you catch them with your poison fog, got it?" Shizune nodded in understanding, though she didn't like the thought of putting an ally in danger with her jutsu, she knew that Jiraiya wouldn't have told her to use it unless he had a plan.

Before anymore could be said, the two ninja saw a large swarm of Kikaichu closing in on them from the surrounding forest. Going through hand signs at a rate that even the Sharingan couldn't follow, Jiraiya grabbed Shizune as his hair grew and formed a dome around them. _'Now it's my turn,' _thought Jiraiya while going through another chain of seals. "Ninpou: Needle Hell," he whispered, causing the dome of hair to start firing off countless needles that shredded the incoming Kikaichu.

'_Crap, I used over a third of my hive with that attack. I'll have to be careful, if I lose any more like that I'll be in trouble,' _thought Shibi, his facial expression never changing, despite the worry he felt. "Shisui-san," said the Aburame catching his comrade's attention, "We have to be careful, for some reason the kikaichu I planted on the three of them don't seem to be having an effect. If this keeps up, a tactical retreat may be our only chance of survival."

The teen nodded his head in agreement, though his eyes never wavered from Jiraiya and Shizune, "I agree, but I have one more ace I can play, all we need to do is restrain Jiraiya long enough for me to activate my jutsu." _'Easier said than done though, if I move anymore chakra into my eyes Tsunade or that other medic are bound to sense it and warn Jiraiya. I only hope Ookami and Tsume can keep Tsunade busy long enough for this to work.'_

_With Tsunade_

'_This is really starting to get old,' _thought a frustrated Tsunade as she dodged yet another drill like attack. But before she had a chance to retaliate, she was forced to jump away to avoid being turned into a pin cushion by a hail of kunai. "Ok, no more kid gloves," mumbled the Slug Sannin before going through a short chain of seals. Once she finished her seals, she charged towards her four opponents, her hands glowing aglow with green chakra.

"Oh shit, Tsume move!" said Ookami when he noticed the chakra surrounding Tsunade's hands. Both Inuzuka's managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid the charka scalpels, unfortunately for Kuromaru, he wasn't. Bringing her right arm down in a wide arc, Tsunade's charka scalpel sliced clean through the optic nerves in Kuromaru's right eye. Not letting up in her assault, Tsunade brought her left hand around and sliced the dog's left ear clean off his head. Before she had a chance to continue her attack and deliver the finishing blow, she was forced to break away from the dog lest she be shredded by an enraged Ookami's claws.

"Kuromaru!" screamed Tsume as she ran to her partners side and began applying the limited medical knowledge she possessed for a quick field patch job. While his wife was tending to her injured partner, Ookami and Shiromaru, now back in his normal form, were staring down a smirking Tsunade.

"You'll pay for that you bitch!" growled Ookami as he started gathering his remaining chakra all around his body. Using the link all Inuzuka's pairs had, Shiromaru began gathering his own chakra and mixing it with his masters. Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she felt the growing chakra inside of the two, the amount was so great it was even starting to form an aura around the two. Tsume looked up from the injured Kuromaru at the feeling of her husband and Shiromaru's chakra. She knew all too well what they planning, it was this very technique that made her husband and Shiromaru feared throughout the Elemental Nations as The Twin Wolves.

Ookami and Shiromaru's chakra flared around them as the Inuzuka patriarch went through a chain of seals. Once he finished the hand seals necessary for his technique, Ookami's features started becoming even more feral than they already were. His already sharpened nails elongated into full grown claws, his bones realigning themselves into a skeletal structure similar to that of a canine's. His hair elongated and became wild and unkempt; but the most striking change was his eyes. His already dilated canine pupils stretched and formed into a full blown slit with the look of hungry predator staring down its prey. The newly transformed Ookami let out a howl reminiscent of a wolf along with Shiromaru before initiating the final phase of his jutsu. "Man-Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf!" Ookami said, his voice almost a growl, before the chakra around him and Shiromaru started to swirl and enveloped the two in a large column of smoke.

"Oh shit," cursed Tsunade as she looked at what had become of her opponent. Gone was the feral visage of Ookami Inuzuka and his partner Shiromaru, and in their place was something that would haunt the dreams of any civilian or villager that saw it. A snarling, two headed wolf stared down on the Sannin with murderous intent. Its shining white fur glistened in the sun, accentuating its blood red eyes.

_With Jiraiya and Shizune- Same time_

Jiraiya's eyes widened as his head whipped around in the direction Tsunade was fighting the two Inuzuka's. _'Shit, if Ookami's planning what I think he is Tsunade won't be able to stop him with her homophobia!'_ glancing back at the two Konoha shinobi he was fighting, he saw their attention was also on the other fight as well. "Shizune, use your poisoned senbon on Shibi now!" whispered the Toad Sage urgently, bringing his team mates attention back to the fight at hand. With a quick nod, Shizune pulled up the sleeve on her right arm and quickly launched the five senbon at the stunned Aburame. Reaching into his red jacket, Jiraiya disappeared in a blur of speed towards the young Uchiha.

Thanks to his Sharingan, Shisui managed to see the attacks coming, "Shibi-san, move!" he said as he jumped away from Jiraiya. Not needing to be told twice, Shibi jumped to the side to avoid the incoming senbon. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the Aburame head wasn't fast enough to avoid all of the senbon as two found their mark in the left side of his chest. Reaching to remove the needles, Shibi's body suddenly froze as he listened to what his kikaichu were telling him._ 'Poison,' _he thought as he directed the remaining kikaichu in his body to isolate and destroy the poison, only to realize the process was much slower than usual and the poison was spreading fast. _'My hive isn't large enough to fight the poison effectively; I have to get back to Konoha as fast as possible,'_

"Shisui-san, I've been poisoned, my hive isn't strong enough to fight it alone, I have to retreat," he said as he started making his way towards the forest.

"Go, I can handle this," said Shisui as he continued to dodge Jiraiya's attempts at getting in close. "Tell Hokage-sama what's happened and have him send reinforcements." Nodding in understanding, the Aburame head retreated into the forest surrounding them and started in the direction of Konoha as fast as he could.

Seeing that one of the threats had been dealt with, Jiraiya decided it was time to finish this little game of cat and mouse. Moving in close, he engaged the young Uchiha in taijutsu, looking into his eyes on purpose. _'Come on, show me the rumors were true, show me this advanced Sharingan of yours.'_

'_Now's my chance,' _thought Shisui as he sent more chakra into his eyes, revealing his most powerful weapon, the Mangekyou Sharingan. The three tomoes of his normal Sharingan spun around wildly before finally merging into the form of the Mangekyou. A four pointed pinwheel with a small dot in the center, stared back into the eyes of the Toad Sage as Shisui activated his most powerful technique. _'Kotoamatsukami!' _thought the Uchiha as his Mangekyou began to spin and the veins around his iris became more prominent.

Jiraiya's eyes glazed over for a spilt second before they returned to normal and he stopped his attack on the teen. Shizune was surprised when she saw Jiraiya quit attacking the Uchiha, but her surprise turned to horror when he turned towards her and began to form seals for a jutsu. Shisui smirked slightly behind Jiraiya at the look on the young medics face; it was entertaining to watch people's reactions when their comrades suddenly turned on them when he captured them in his genjutsu's. But this time was different, instead of temporarily confusing his target with a regular genjutsu; he had truly taken control of the legendary Jiraiya of the Sannin. _'I may not be able to use my Mangekyou for a long time, but it was worth it,' _thought Shisui as he continued to silently alter Jiraiya's thoughts to make him think Tsunade and Shizune were his enemies.

Just as Jiraiya was about to finish the hand signs for his jutsu, Shisui felt someone appear behind him and something being slammed into the base of his skull. _'What the…' _was his last coherent thought before darkness overcame him. Behind him, the real Jiraiya dispelled the clone that had fallen into Shisui's ultimate genjutsu and pulled out a scroll to seal away the body.

'_So the rumors were true, Shisui did awaken a stronger form of Sharingan and it apparently allows him the ability to completely take over another person by altering and controlling their thoughts. A technique like that could be useful; Tsunade and Orochimaru will have to look into unlocking its secrets by examining the body.' _Placing the scroll back into his vest, Jiraiya nodded to Shizune, letting her know everything was fine.

Before either of them had a chance to do anything else, a howl echoed throughout the clearing, reminding them they weren't quite finished yet. "Shit, Shizune get to Tsunade!" shouted Jiraiya as he sped towards the newly transformed Ookami and Shiromaru.

Shizune was quick to follow the order; rushing over to her master she arrived just as Jiraiya appeared in front of them. Biting his right thumb, Jiraiya smeared the blood on his left hand before speeding through five very familiar hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu," said Jiraiya as he slammed his hands on the ground. In a large poof of smoke, the three ninja felt themselves rise into the air as the large summons appeared below them.

"Fang Wolf Fang!" Ookami's disembodied voice echoed around the clearing as the giant two headed wolf jumped towards them, spinning at speeds that were impossible to match.

"Gamaken, defense!" shouted the Toad Sage as the strongest technique of the Inuzuka clan sped towards them. The magenta colored, Guardian Toad, quickly brought his shield around to block the attack and dug his sasumata into the ground as added support. Speeding through another set of seals, Jiraiya clapped his hands together as a large, intricate seal appeared on Gamaken's shield with ten circles surrounding it, two with kanji in them. "Toad Collaboration: Shield of Hachiman!" the seal on the shield began to glow a vibrant blue as a dome of swirling chakra enveloped the large toad.

The transformed Inuzuka pair collided with the shield of chakra, pushing Gamaken back a ways, but not breaking the shield. Jiraiya struggled to maintain the shield under the ferocious and unending assault of the two headed wolf. Every time it failed to break the shield, it would bounce off and come in again from a different angle. _'Shit, I can't keep this up for much longer,' _thought Jiraiya as he was forced to a knee after another failed attempt by the wolf to break the shield. Watching as the still spinning wolf came around for another attempt, Jiraiya feared that this time he might actually break through with this attack. Just as the wolf was about to collide with the shield again, Jiraiya felt two pairs of hands on his back. Glancing over his shoulder, the Toad Sage felt his chakra reserves begin to rise as Tsunade and Shizune transferred their own chakra to his.

Pumping his newly replenished chakra into the jutsu, Jiraiya smirked as he watched the twister once again fail to get through his and Gamaken's defense. _'Now it's our turn,' _thought Jiraiya as he made three quick hand seals and the chakra dome around them dissipated and reformed around the edge of Gamaken's shield, tripling its size. Already knowing what his summoner had planned Gamaken, raised his shield so it was pointing towards the oncoming attack. "Toad Collaboration: Mirror Reflection- Fang Wolf Fang," the chakra around the shield stopped spinning and unknown to all but Jiraiya and Gamaken, the kanji for 'Wolf' appeared in one of the empty circles surrounding the seal.

But what everyone did notice was the chakra around the shield picking up speed again. Three sets of eyes widened in complete shock as they watched an exact copy of the attack heading towards the giant toad launched from its shield. The identical Fang Wolf Fang attacks collided with each other, creating a shockwave strong enough to level a good portion of the surrounding forest.

Unable to maintain the technique, Ookami and Shiromaru brook off and cancelled their jutsu, landing in a crouch a little ways away from Tsume and the still down Kuromaru. With wide eyes, Ookami watched as the exact copy of his best technique dissipated back into chakra before vanishing entirely.

"Gamaken, return to Myouboku, I can't maintain the summoning anymore," panted Jiraiya as he and the two medics jumped from the toads head. Nodding in understanding, the Guardian Toad disappeared in a poof of smoke back to his home, eager to tell his brothers about the latest technique he added to his shield. No sooner had the smoke cleared then did Ookami and a transformed Shiromaru appear in front of them, claws poised to strike.

Reacting faster than either of her team mates, Tsunade jumped to meet the Inuzuka patriarch, her hands once again glowing with green chakra. Blinded by rage and fatigue, Ookami failed to notice the chakra surrounding Tsunade's hands. Taking a swing at the Slug Sannin, he left himself open to a counter and unfortunately for him, Tsunade capitalized on it. Thrusting her open left palm into his chest, she hit him right over his heart.

Ookami's eyes widened as he felt his heart being destroyed by the chakra scalpel. Time seemed to slow for him and he felt his chakra and his life force leaving his body. Glancing over at his faithful companion, he had just enough time to see Tsunade chop Shiromaru in the throat, effortlessly cutting his wind pipe, a killing blow. _'Well pal, looks we finally met our match, I just hope Tsume manages to survive. I'm sorry Hana-chan, Kiba, I guess I won't be coming back like I promised,' _with those last thoughts, Ookami Inuzuka fell to the ground next to his partner, never to rise again.

Tsume could only watch on in denial as her husband and mate fell to the ground alongside Shiromaru. Her world stopped as she continued to stare at the lifeless body for what seemed like an eternity. She was too stunned to notice that the same person who had just killed her husband was moving to finish her as well. Fortunately for the Inuzuka matriarch, Kuromaru managed to somehow get her onto his back and retreat back towards Konoha. It wasn't until after they had covered about half of the distance to Konoha that Tsume finally came out of her shocked state. Now that she could think properly, the fact that her husband was truly dead sank in and she let out an agonized cry that echoed throughout the forests of Land of Fire.

"Now what do we do?" asked Shizune once she and Tsunade were finished healing the minor case of chakra exhaustion that Jiraiya had suffered. The lifeless bodies of Ookami Inuzuka and Shiromaru lay where it had fallen, temporarily forgotten by the three ninja still in the clearing.

"Now," said Jiraiya as he slowly got to his feet, "We can get back to the whole point of me tracking you two down. There is a mission that I have to complete, and I'm going to need your all's help with it." The two medics looked at Jiraiya curiously as he moved over and placed a small piece of paper on the bodies of Ookami and Shiromaru before sealing them into the same scroll he had Shisui.

"What mission is that, Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade as she picked up Tonton and moved to stand with her team mate. Jiraiya couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he imagined their faces once he told them what he and Naruto were planning.

"The mission is to infiltrate Takigakure and retrieve the jinchuuriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi," said Jiraiya with as straight a face as possible. The task proved too difficult though as he collapsed laughing when he saw the faces Tsunade and Shizune were giving him. Both kunoichi had apparently dislodged their jaws as they were currently on the ground, with their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Composing herself as best she could, Tsunade turned her still wide eyes to the laughing form of Jiraiya. "You're…you're not serious about that, are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Jiraiya's laughter immediately stopped when he heard the question his team mate asked. Recomposing himself, Jiraiya turned his attention back to the two medics, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of the matter.

"Yes Tsunade, I'm dead serious. I won't go into detail about things, because it is not my place to do so, but once we find the final member of our team and complete this mission, I'll take you to Naruto and he can explain everything to you in detail." That said Jiraiya jumped into the surrounding forest, the two medics hot on his tail.

"What do you mean, 'final member of our team?' Who else do you plan on having join us?" asked Tsunade as the three ninja continued heading north.

Jiraiya looked over his shoulder at his team mate, his infamous smirk spreading across his lips, "Why, Orochimaru of course."

**There you have it, as always please R&R, it really helps. As I said in the author's note at the beginning, I won't update this story again until there are at least 25 reviews for it.  
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**Until next time,  
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**BSW  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone, ready for another chapter? Now before we begin, let me make something perfectly clear. You all did not meet the 25 review challenge I set forth last chapter, but you came close at 22. Because you all were so close I decided to go ahead and update as an incentive for everyone to review so that you can meet the next challenge.**

**Before we go any further, those of you who are not completely caught up with the manga beware, their is a spoiler in this chapter.**

**sheltie- As always it's good to hear from you my friend, I hope you enjoy what I did with Orochimaru in this chapter and anything doesn't make sense just message me. As to my other stories... well there next chapters are currently a work in progress. Right now, I'm going back and editing everything so that it suits my now preferred style of writing (katon, suiton, raiton, etc.).**

**redlox2- Your logic matches mine exactly, and yes Jiraiya could have easily defeated the squad in Sage Mode. However, it's always good to have an ace or two up your sleeve.**

**the iriatation- I see where you're coming from, and I understand how that could sound. However the fact of the matter is that when you look at it, in canon, almost every single mission Naruto and the rookies have been on, whether it be manga, anime, or movie, has ended in them facing and DEFEATING enemy ninja who could be considered chuunin or jounin in rank. With that in mind, and since they are all genin until shippuden, one could assume that Konoha chuunin would be even stronger than them.**

**Kamen Rider Arashi- Your argument is a valid one, and your idea would indeed make my claim about Konoha's ranks in previous chapters more believable. So keep your eyes peeled for hints on people who I may have saved from death in canon.**

**As always, I own nothing**

**Chapter 7- A Snake Shed's his Skin**

"You sure this is where he is, Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade as she and her two companions kneeled on the branch of tree overlooking a small clearing. Across from them, at the base of one of the larger trees, was a rundown shack that was built into the ground. A ramp led down to the open entryway where two red snakes were painted on the unusually colored purple walls. "I still can't believe we're asking Orochimaru of all people to help us."

"Don't be so judgmental hime, you can't always judge a snake based on appearance alone," said Jiraiya, for once sounding like the wise sage he claimed to be. He may have sounded wise on the outside, on the inside however he was thinking back to the small beating Tsunade had given him after he told them Orochimaru was supposed to be the last member of their team. _'I didn't think it was possible, but Tsunade's super human strength got even stronger,' _he thought as he rubbed a bruise on his upper left arm.

"If you say so Jiraiya, I still don't like this," said Tsunade as she continued to watch the entrance to the hideout. Jiraiya released a small sigh at that, it seemed as though convincing Tsunade to accept Orochimaru back was going to be harder than he expected.

"Umm, Jiraiya-sama," said a tentative Shizune, "How exactly do you plan on getting Orochimaru's attention so we can talk to him?"

She regretted asking that question when she saw a very devious smirk appear on the Toad Sage's face. "Like this," with a snap of his fingers, a large explosion went off about fifty yards from the clearing. Despite the distance from the explosion, the entire clearing they were watching was rocked by the force of the explosion. Still shocked that Jiraiya, a man who understood subtlety better than most, would pull a stunt like that, they missed him jumping in the direction the explosion came from.

It wasn't until they heard Jiraiya's cry of "Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu," that the two medics managed to get over their shock and move towards the site of the explosion.

_Inside the Hideout- Same Time_

Deep inside of the underground hideout, completely unaware of what was about to happen, were Orochimaru's top two lieutenants and his personal body guards. If one were to walk into the room, they would be able to literally cut the tension with a kunai. Kabuto Yakushi and Guren, Orochimaru's most powerful followers, were staring each other down with such hatred that it was amazing the meeting room hadn't been turned into a war zone.

At only the young age of seventeen, Kabuto Yakushi was considered to be Orochimaru's right-hand man and personal medic. His skills in the medical field were advanced enough that Orochimaru trusted only him to assist with his experiments. Because of his skills, Kabuto uses extensive medical ninjutsu as well as many medical related tools in combat, a unique skill that not many could match. It was that very reason why many of Orochimaru's other followers sought to please him at every turn, fearing he may kill them with a mere touch if they didn't.

Guren on the other hand, was the more well liked of the two since she actually cared for her subordinates wellbeing, especially the young Yukimaru. Orochimaru found her when she was just a child and offered to help her train her unique kekkei genkai, the Shoton. She wears a green dress with a long left sleeve and a short right one with a white, fluffy collar over a red turtle-neck. On her hands were brown gloves with matching calf-length sandals on her feet. Her light blue hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail with long strands hanging down, framing her face.

Off to the side of the room, were Orochimaru's five personal bodyguards, otherwise known as the Sound Five. Though only eleven, Jirobo is a head taller than his team mates and rather large in the middle. He has orange eyes matched the color of his unusually styled hair, three tufts of hair sat on his head: a mohawk of sorts that ran down the middle and two similarly styled tufts on the side of his head. He wears a sleeveless tunic with his team's personal symbol on the hem, along with black arm-warmers, a pair of black three quarter length pants that stopped just below his knees. The rest of his legs were covered with leg warmers covered in bandages with black sandals on his feet. A purple rope belt tied around his waist, and a necklace comprised of long metals pieces completed his ensemble.

Next to him was Kidomaru, and like his team mates, he was merely eleven years old. He is dark-sknned shinobi with black, shaggy hair and black eyes. A unique trait about him, are his six arms that make appear very reminiscent of a spider. He wears a black, sleeveless top and shorts, with a tunic that bears his team symbol over it. He to wears a purple rope belt around his waist along with an Otogakure headband on his forehead.

Tayuya, the lone female of the team, was dressed similarly to her team mates. A tan tunic with her team's symbol on it, black shorts, standard black shinobi sandals and a purple rope belt around her waist. Her most distinctive feature was her long, untamed, red hair that was covered with a black hat with bandaged sides.

The most unique one of the Sound Five was Sakon, who was dressed just like his team mates; the only difference being his tunic was brown in color. But what made Sakon unique was the second head he had growing out of his shoulder blades. To those who knew, the second head was actually his twin brother Ukon. Thanks to their unique kekkei genkai, the two brothers could assimilate themselves into another person's body and cause damage to an opponent at the molecular level with their mere presence alone.

Unlike his team mates, Kimimaro, the leader and most powerful of the Sound Five, was twelve years old. He is a pale boy, with vivid green eyes, masculine facial features despite his age, and two distinctive red dots on his forehead, the mark of his clan's kekkei genkai. His shoulder-length white hair was parted down the middle by a zigzag shaped parting in the middle of his head. He wore a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, black pants cut off at his calf with bandages wrapped around his ankles. A purple rope belt, tied in an inverted bow was the only similarity between him and his team mates outfits. At the base of his throat was a small tattoo of three curved lines in a circle, this was the mark of his Cursed Seal of Earth.

"Why Guren, that's quite a hard look, what's wrong?" asked Kabuto mockingly.

Guren's only response to growl slightly as crystal particles began forming in her hand. "I still don't understand why Orochimaru-sama considers you his right-hand; we both know I'm the stronger of the two of us." Despite the insult to his skills, Kabuto couldn't deny the fact that in terms of raw power, Guren was the superior of the two of them.

"Jeez, why don't you assholes just shut the fucking hell up already, listening to you two is giving me a god damn headache," shouted Tayuya, much to the annoyance of everyone present. It was well known that despite her age, Tayuya was the foulest mouthed person in Otogakure, a fact that annoyed her team mates to no end.

"Tayuya, shut up, you're not helping," said Jirobo as he rubbed his temple slightly.

Tayuya though just rounded on her larger team mate, "Shut up you fat ass, I'll say whatever the fuck I want, when I want!"

"Jesus woman, could you be any louder, I don't think they heard you in Kumogakure," mumbled Kidomaru with all six of his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block out his annoying team mate.

Before Tayuya had a chance to shout again, Kabuto interrupted her, "That's enough," he said in an eerily calm voice, "All of you remain silent or I'll be using you as my newest test subjects." That threat silenced everybody; it was well known that those who angered Kabuto had a tendency to end up on his examination table.

Before anything else could be said, a large explosion destroyed the roof above the meeting chamber, forcing all of its inhabitants to jump out of the now useless chamber to avoid being crushed. "What the fuck was that?" asked Tayuya and for once, none of her team mates complained about her language, since the same question was going through their heads as well.

Kabuto was already using his skills as a medic to scan the surrounding forest for the person who could have caused the explosion. What he found was not what expecting, _'Two chakra signatures equal to Orochimaru-sama in size and one with the same amount as me? Not good, there are only a handful of people in the world who can rival Orochimaru in turns of chakra.' _"Be at the ready, there are three large chakra signatures near our position," said Kabuto as he drew a curved kunai.

Just as the other Oto shinobi were drawing their own weapons, a blur jumped out of the forest and into the sky above them. "Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu," instantly, a giant toad appeared above them, quickly falling back to earth.

Not wasting a second, Jirobo formed hand seals as fast as he could, "Doton Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness." A large dome of earth rose around everyone, shielding them from the falling toad. A split second later, the large toad landed on top of the barrier causing a small earthquake in the surrounding area, but not destroying the self-repairing barrier.

"Well damn, I'll give that little kid one thing, he sure can form a strong defense," said Jiraiya from atop Gamahiro's head. "Oh well, thanks Gamahiro, you can leave if you want," he said the large aquamarine toad he was sitting on.

"Thanks Jiraiya, but you owe me for that one, I'm not gonna be able to sit right for a week after this," said the Warrior Toad before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Thanks to the sudden disappearance, Jiraiya was left to fall straight towards the dome of earth. _'Let's see if it can hold up to this,' _thought the Toad Sage as he formed a Rasengan in each hand and slammed them down on the barrier. "Twin Rasengan," the attack was easily able to destroy the already weakened dome, causing a minor explosion, scattering the people inside of it.

"Ok, I'm so gonna fucking kill the jack ass that did that!" screamed Tayuya as she slowly got back to her feet.

"Is that so," said a voice from behind the cloud of smoke caused by the explosion. Every Oto shinobi present whipped their heads around to see a silhouette of a man appear in the smoke. Once the smoke fully cleared, the seven Oto ninja's eyes widened in shock, or fear in some cases when they saw Jiraiya of the Sannin standing before them, "I highly doubt that."

Kabuto's mind was running a mile a minute, _'Shit, I doubt even Guren and I working together would be able to defeat Jiraiya,'_ thought the glasses wearing medic before he remembered the other two chakra signature he had felt. _'If Jiraiya was one the signatures I felt, then who…'_ the silver-haired boys thoughts were cut off as a feminine voice reached his ears.

"Jiraiya, what the hell was that?" asked a still partially shocked Tsunade as she and Shizune landed beside the white-haired Sannin.

"Oh nothing Tsunade-hime, just having some fun," answered the Sage with a cheeky grin. A tick mark appeared on Tsunade's forehead as she fought the urge to pound Jiraiya into the ground.

'_Jiraiya and Tsunade?! There's no way we can win a fight like this!' _thought the seven Oto ninja as they watched the two Sannin bicker.

All noise in the area ceased as a new voice made itself known, "Kukuku, what do we have here?" asked a very familiar voice. Everyone turned their attention to the source of the voice, and were met with the sight of two yellow snake-like eyes staring back at them. Out of the now destroyed hideout appeared none other than Orochimaru himself. His snake-like eyes widened in slight surprise when he saw both of his former team mates standing across from him. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, what a pleasant surprise," he said with a smirk as he approach the two, stopping a few feet away from them, "Now, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Instead of answering, Jiraiya simply reached into his red vest and pulled out his old Konoha headband. Orochimaru was slightly surprised at that move, but his surprise turned to shock as Jiraiya showed him the scratched out leaf symbol. The former Konoha shinobi turned all of his attention to Jiraiya, one question leaving his lips, "What happened?"

Now everyone in the clearing, with the exception of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, was in a state of shock. Not only were Jiraiya and Orochimaru face, to face and not at each other's throats, but Orochimaru actually sounded worried and sincere when he asked his question. Kidomaru, unable to control his surprise anymore blurted out, "Orochimaru-sama, what are you doing, they are our enemies!" His question was met with a few nods of agreement from his team mates, except Kimimaro.

The Snake Sannin's answer shocked everybody to the core, "Enemy? No, Jiraiya and Tsunade were never my enemies; they have always been my siblings in all but blood."

"WHAT?!" shouted an enraged Tsunade, "How dare you call yourself our brother after what you did? You betrayed us you worthless snake!" Jiraiya may have managed to convince her to at least hear their old team mate out, but hearing him claim that they were his siblings still set her off. Just as she was about to send Orochimaru flying with a super powered punch, she felt something on her right shoulder before all of her chakra left her. Turning to find out what was wrong, she was shocked to see a piece of paper with a seal on it courtesy of Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, wh-what is this?" she asked completely thrown for a loop that he would do this.

"Your wrong, Tsunade," said Jiraiya with a grim look on his face, "Orochimaru never betrayed us. If you had bothered to look into the incident about his defection like I did, you would understand."

"What do you mean, Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune, speaking up for the first time since she and Tsunade arrived at the clearing. Before Jiraiya had a chance to answer the young woman, Orochimaru cut him off.

"He means that what was told to the populace was not the whole truth," said the Snake Sannin, getting curious glances from everyone around, except for Jiraiya who already knew what was about to be said. "The story of my so called betrayal of Konoha is well known around the Elemental Countries. However the story that was told to the Konoha populace and placed in the Bingo Book is a fabrication of what truly happened. The story goes that I was discovered conducting illegal genetic experiments and alterations to my fellow Konoha shinobi and later on, orphaned children. That story is only half right."

Tsunade's anger had risen as Orochimaru continued to speak, but unfortunately the seal Jiraiya had placed on her prevented her from decking her ex-team mate. "What do you mean half right you sick bastard?" she spat, but was surprised when Jiraiya was the one to answer.

"He means that the story was altered to fit the needs of the Sandaime. This is what I meant when I said if you had looked into the incident, you would understand. While it's true that Orochimaru was indeed conducting these kinds of experiments, the people he was conducting them on were not the innocent comrades the Sandaime claimed them to be. The people he was experimenting on were traitors, people who were planning on betraying Konoha to its enemies. The experiments may have seemed immoral, but they were helping to keep potential traitors in line. The Sandaime didn't agree with his methods, and so he altered the story and rumors people heard and told so they would rally to him and shun Orochimaru. All of this led to Orochimaru's so called abandonment of Konoha and being labeled a traitor for his actions."

Shizune eyes were wide as she listened to the story. She couldn't believe that everything she had been led to believe about the so called traitor was just a fabrication made to suit someone else's purposes. Tsunade on the other hand, was only slightly placated, "That may be, but it still doesn't excuse him using innocent orphaned children in his twisted experiments."

Orochimaru's response to that statement surprised even Kabuto, Guren and the Sound Five. "I would never put a child's life at risk like that!" shouted Orochimaru with such emotion that Tsunade actually took a step back in surprise. "Children are the future of this world, to do something that might harm a child in such a manner is beyond disgusting. I would sooner commit suicide then put a child at risk with a procedure that may not work and could very potentially kill them."

"But what about those two students of yours, Anko and Tenzo, where's your excuse for experimenting on them?" asked Tsunade once she got over surprise, "You say you don't harm children, but yet you'll experiment on your own students, you're nothing but a hypocrite."

"How dare you slander Orochimaru-sama like that!" shouted Kimimaro as a bone pike came out of his palm. Before he had a chance to attack the woman who had slandered his lord's name, that same lord put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"That's enough Kimimaro, I appreciate the show of loyalty, but you must understand her point of view. To her, I am a traitor with a sick mind, but hopefully once all is revealed that will change." The Snake Sannin's words had an immediate effect on the young shinobi, his anger was replaced with a reluctant understanding and his bone pike retracted back into his body. "As to your claim Tsunade, Tenzo and Anko willingly underwent the procedures. Though they survived, the stress of the changes forced their minds to repress the experiences, causing them too willingly except what the Sandaime told them happened after I had left."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you did something like that to your own students, students you claimed to see as your own children," said Tsunade, really wishing she had studied seals more so she could remove the seal Jiraiya had placed on her.

Now Orochimaru may have been a patient man, with a calm demeanor that most couldn't hope of achieving, but even he had a limit. A limit Tsunade just broke. "I LOVED MY STUDENTS, I COULDN'T COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES I TRIED TO TALK THEM OUT OF GOING THROUGH WITH THE PROCEDURES! But they wouldn't listen; I finally resolved to do the procedures by convincing myself that by doing this, I'm giving them a stronger chance of surviving in this world." The last part was said a hushed whisper, but it was heard by all.

No one, not even Jiraiya could believe the emotion Orochimaru was displaying in response to Tsunade's accusation. The Toad Sage knew that Orochimaru had cared for his two beloved students, but even he couldn't have guessed how much the two meant to his old team mate. Seeing Tsunade about to say something else, the Toad Sage interfered before she drove Orochimaru to the point where it would be all out war. "Tsunade, I know you're angry about the experiments Orochimaru did but think of it this way. His so called 'Cursed' Seal gives its user a large boost in chakra and power, now if you were in a war and you were almost out of chakra, wouldn't it be reassuring to know that you had a backup to help you survive to fight another day?"

That stopped any argument Tsunade may have had in its tracks. As a medic, her first and only priority was to make sure people survived any kind of injury they may receive while out in the field so they could live to see another day. As much as she tried to deny it, the application of Orochimaru's seal would indeed help people survive situations they normally wouldn't.

Seeing her master caught in an internal conflict, Shizune decided to try and get some more answers, "That may be true, but how do you explain him experimenting with transplanting kekkei genkai into people?"

Jiraiya knew this question was coming ever since he told the two medics they were looking for Orochimaru. Even if she didn't come right out and say it, he could tell Tsunade was furious about Orochimaru using her own grandfathers DNA to recreate his unique Mokuton kekkei genkai. Taking a moment to consider his answer, Jiraiya answered the medic, "Imagine if you were the last of a clan that possessed a unique kekkei genkai, if you lived in a village like Konoha what could you expect to happen?" the look of horror on not only Shizune's face, but the crystal using Guren's, was enough of an answer. "Exactly, you'd be used as nothing more than breeding stock and your children would be forced to train from the day they can walk. But with Orochimaru's experiments, if he were able to completely work it out and make it possible, all that would have to happen was you would give some DNA for them to use and the ability can be transplanted into other people to help recreate the kekkei genkai."

Though she didn't show it, Tsunade now understood why her former team mate was so adamant about his experiments. He was simply trying to make the world a better place for people in unfortunate circumstances. It may seem inhumane to most people, but to an open minded individual the possibilities in medical advancement were numerous. "Your right," whispered the Slug Princess in such a low voice everybody had to strain to hear her. "The methods may same brutal, but what current medical advancement hasn't required some kind of brutal experimentation? Orochimaru, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged you like I did, and I should have given you the chance to explain yourself." A lone tear fell from her eyes as she looked the person she used to consider a brother.

A small smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, not one of his usual snake-like smirks or one of the ones he got when an experiment was a success, no. This was a true smile, a smile that hadn't been seen on his face since his time as Jiraiya and Tsunade's team mate. Walking up to the only woman he ever considered a sister, the feared Snake Sannin, the supposed traitor of Konoha, enveloped Tsunade in a hug. Returning the hug full force, she was slightly grateful Jiraiya had suppressed her chakra; otherwise she might have accidently crushed Orochimaru into pulp.

"So," started Orochimaru once the hug was over, "Why exactly did you come here? As much as I appreciate having my sister back, I doubt that was the true reason."

Jiraiya chuckled slightly at that, "You're as insightful as always you snake freak."

Orochimaru smirked at his old team mate, "Of course I am, I'm considered a genius for a reason you toad lover." Tsunade smirked as she listened to her brothers' banter; it reminded her so much of the good times they used to have together. _'Speaking of the good times…' _she thought walking up to the two feared men and grabbing them by their ears, "OWOWOWOWOWOW."

Now normally, the Sound Five and Guren would have killed anyone who dared to harm their lord, but the spectacle going on before them, had all of them rooted in place. Never before had they seen Orochimaru act like he was now, that someone of his power and skill could act like he was nothing more than a kid was a shock to their systems.

Kabuto, on the other hand, was not the least bit amused at this unusual turn of events. _'This will put a damper on my plans. With Orochimaru-sama showing his true self now, conducting my personal experiments just got a lot more difficult,' _thought the teen as he continued to watch the three Sannin's banter. Glancing over at his fellow Oto ninja, Kabuto had to stop himself from frowning, _'I can't count on any of them supporting me when the time comes. Even after all that has happened their loyalty to Orochimaru-sama will remain unchanged. For now though, I'll just have to play along and keep my experiments low key.' _With that in mind, Kabuto immediately put a convincing false smile on his face as he moved to rejoin his fellow Oto shinobi and wait to see what their next move would be.

Unknown to Kabuto, someone had noticed his unusual behavior as events unfolded. _'Something doesn't feel right about him, even more than usual. Kimimaro may be extremely loyal, but I had expected Kabuto to be the one to come to Orochimaru-sama's defense when Tsunade slandered him,' _thought Guren as she watched the silver-haired medic out of the corner of her eye. _'I'll have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he isn't up to something.'_

Having finally managed to free his ear from Tsunade's grip, Jiraiya proceeded to tell Orochimaru exactly what he had told Tsunade. From what happened in Konoha, to his and Naruto's freeing of Gaara from Suna, and even the fight with the team from Konoha. "So, let me get this straight, you want me to help you and Tsunade infiltrate Takigakure, find the jinchuuriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi and get them out of the village in order to protect them from the Akatsuki so the nine jinchuuriki can fight together and rid the world of a darkness that is rising in the shadows of this world?" said Orochimaru, summing everything up, more for his subordinates than anything else.

"Pretty much, yeah," said Jiraiya as if it were nothing. For several minutes, Orochimaru just stared at Jiraiya with a blank look, before a smirk spread across his face.

"Sounds interesting, count me in." The other two Sannin smiled, glad that Orochimaru had agreed to help them. "But I can't stay with you at all times, I have my own hideouts to manage, so after this mission I'll have to leave to take care of things."

"I understand, but if that's the case we'll need to figure out a way for us to communicate over extreme distances," said Jiraiya as he closed his eyes and began to mentally work out a rough diagram for a seal that could possibly do the job.

Orochimaru though, was already one step ahead of him, "Actually I already know a method we could use," he said bringing the attention back to him. "As I'm sure Jiraiya knows I was once a member of the Akatsuki. During my time as a member, all of the members were rarely together in the same place at the same time. Whenever we needed to meet together though we would use a technique called the Magic Lantern Body Jutsu. Basically what the technique does is it allowed us to project our consciousness to an anchor, in this case the leader of Akatsuki, and took on a spectral form of our actual body to converse with one another."

"It sounds like an interesting jutsu, similar to that of the Yamanaka clans," said Tsunade as she thought the technique over. It was extremely useful and it allowed for information to be passed on almost immediately, "What are the downsides to using this technique?"

"There is only one real downside to the jutsu, but it is very large downside. While one is using this jutsu, their body needs to remain perfectly still, leaving them open to an attack if they are not in a secure environment."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding, "I figured it would be something like that. So it's more like the Yamanaka's Mind Transfer Jutsu than I originally thought. Just like their jutsu, this one leaves a person completely vulnerable." Deciding that they could worry about how to contact one another after they had finished their mission, Jiraiya got back to business. "Anyway, we can worry about that later. Now though, the four of us have to get to Taki as soon as we can and free their jinchuuriki."

"Jiraiya's right, the sooner we get this done, the sooner and I can my godson," said Tsunade, causing Orochimaru to sweat drop slightly. _'Well it's good to know she had her priorities straight,' _he thought sarcastically before turning to his seven subordinates.

"Return to your normal post's in the other hideouts. Kabuto, try and repair whatever damage Jiraiya's explosion caused and get this base running again. Guren, I want you to go between each hideout and make sure everything is as it should be, if it's not do what you can to correct it." After each of them nodded and left to complete their assigned tasks, Orochimaru turned back to his old team mates, "Shall we?" With a quick nod, the four remaining people in the clearing jumped into the trees, making their way to Takigakure no Sato.

A little after they had left the Oto hideout, Shizune, who couldn't contain her curiosity anymore, spoke up. "Umm, Orochimaru-sama," she started, deciding to be respectful to the man, "If you really aren't like you have been portrayed, then what of Manda? According to Tsunade-sama, the last time she saw you summon him, he demanded fifty human sacrifices." That question even got Jiraiya's attention, he may have known his friend wasn't really evil, but he didn't know a thing about Manda.

Orochimaru chuckled slightly, getting some raised eyebrow from Jiraiya and Tsunade, "I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to ask that question. Honestly I had fully expected one of you to ask that question after Tsunade and Shizune knew everything, but I digress. Manda is very much like myself in the matter that he only wishes the best for everyone, but his methods are misunderstood. You see, even before my infamous 'betrayal' of Konoha, snakes weren't easily trusted creatures. Most humans do not trust what they do not understand or cannot control, because snakes are so unpredictable, being calm one minute and attacking the next, humans naturally fear them."

"I think we're all well aware of that fact Orochimaru get to the point already," said Tsunade, aggravated that her brother was being so indirect.

Deciding he'd rather not end up getting punched by his sister in all but blood, Orochimaru continued, "Alright, the reason Manda demands sacrifices is partially because of his pride as the ruler of all snakes, but it is also because he is trying to show the world that snakes are not all evil and that they wish to exist in peace together. What Manda calls 'sacrifices' we would call criminals, the lowest of the low who don't care what they have to do so long as they get what they want. I'll be the first to admit that he is a little off putting when he calls them 'sacrifices' but to the snakes, anyone who would stoop so low isn't deserving of life and should be sacrificed for the betterment of the world."

"Wow, I never thought of it like that, but I guess that's the reason I'm a natural slug summoner and not a snake summoner," said Tsunade with a smirk towards Orochimaru, "Besides, we all know that slugs are a better summon than snakes or toads, right Shizune?"

"Right Tsunade-sama," said Shizune, unable to resist joining in on the fun she knew was coming.

"Yeah right, toads/snakes are the better summons," said Jiraiya and Orochimaru at the same time. Turning to glare at one another, the two Sannin completely ignored the laughing Tsunade and giggling Shizune as they got into another of their 'toads are better than snakes, and snakes are better than toads' arguments.

_With Kabuto_

The spectacle wearing medic frowned as he continued to oversee the repairs being made to the hideout. It had been a few hours since the Sannin had left to complete their mission and his mode had yet to improve. Because of this, he had 'accidently' lashed out and 'killed' a few Oto shinobi that had aggravated him. To everyone around, it appeared as if he had killed them by merely placing his hand over their heads, however he had simply placed them in a death-like state until had use of them for his own personal experiments.

This was how he always worked, by making it appear as if he was killing people who annoyed him, he instilled fear into those around him to either please him or they would meet the same fate. Thanks to this he not only had a steady flow of test subjects for experiments, but he was also slowly brainwashing those under him to become more loyal to him than to Orochimaru. _'I guess that's one thing I can thank Danzo for,' _he thought with a smirk, _'Thanks to him I have a failsafe method of insuring people's loyalty to me.'_

"Kabuto-sama," said an Oto chuunin interrupting the young man's reverie.

Kabuto glared at the man slightly, "What do you want?" he asked, annoyed at being interrupted.

The chuunin flinched at the glare and tone in Kabuto's voice, but continued nonetheless. "A squad of Kumo-nin is closing in on our location. With the damages caused by the explosion, the barrier concealing all chakra in and around the base was damaged. The team has a sensor with them and they are coming to investigate."

That got Kabuto's attention, even if his loyalties weren't true, he couldn't allow anyone to discover this base. "Form a team of our best assassins, we cannot allow this bases location to be compromised any more than it already has been."

"At once Kabuto-sama," said the chuunin before going to complete his task.

'_Kumo-nin huh, haha well I have been meaning to get another test subject from them. I just hope they holds up longer than the last one did, but even they don't there are plenty more where they came from.' _With a small chuckle, the teen vanished into the shadows to go greet his guests.

_Border between Land of Earth and Land of Grass_

"Are we sure the information is correct?" asked a cloaked figure to his two comrades.

The cloaked figure next to him nodded, "Yes, are best spies confirmed it, Hiruko's base of operations is at the top of Mount Shumisen." The other two nodded in understanding as they looked up at the imposing mountain from their position on a tree branch.

Mount Shumisen, a mountain shrouded in myths as old as the world itself. In ancient times, it was believed that if someone were to pray in the shrine at its peak during a solar eclipse, the gods themselves would grant you your hearts desires. However, there are always two sides to every tale. While there were those who believed the mountain a holy place for the gods, there were those who feared the mountain as a place of evil. It was from these beliefs that another legend came forth. A prophecy was made about the mountain from a wise sage before he passed on. The prophecy said that 'When Human is consumed at the time Heaven shadows the Earth with a black sun, an immortal monster unlike any other shall be born; a monster known simply as, Chimera.'

The third cloaked figure gave a deep chuckle, "I guess that ancient 'prophecy' was right, only I doubt they were expecting someone like Hiruko to be the monster Chimera."

"True," nodded the first figure, "But it does make sense doesn't it, with Hiruko's Chimera Jutsu, he can consume other humans. However I still don't believe the part about him becoming immortal."

"That may be, but right now we have other matters to take care of," said the second figure, getting nods from his two companions, "Alright then, let's go." With that, the three jumped from their position on the tree and sped across the land heading towards the gate that was visible at the base of the mountain.

_Mount Shumisen Shrine_

Four figures stood in the middle of a room shrouded in darkness. The first two looked exactly the same; both of them were tall and skinny pink pupiless eyes, and they each wore a purple leather outfit with numerous black bands wrapped around their bodies. The only real differences between them was that one had a single purple bar on his forehead, his hair hanging down on his left side with a grey cloak over his right side, known simply as Ichi. His twin instead had three purple bars on his forehead with his hair on the right side of his head, and his cloak covering his left side, he was known as San.

The third one was the only female of the group. Like her brothers Ichi and San, she had two purple stripes on her left cheek and she also wore a pure leather outfit. A red-violet bodysuit that revealed much of her bust and figure, along with long brown hair that she curled into a very intricate spiral going down her back. Her name was Ni, the only female wielder of the Chimera Jutsu.

The last member of the group was a man who was feared around the Elemental Nations, Hiruko of the Chimera jutsu. He was a white-haired man with red eyes dressed in an over-sized, high-collared coat wrapped with three leather straps. Despite being about the same age as the Sannin, he had a very youthful appearance, due to the modifications he made to himself. Most of his body was covered in bandages, including his mouth and arms, revealing only the upper half of his face and hair. Underneath these bandages was a stitched scar on the left side of his chest, which was hollowed out in order to make room for any other people he chose to absorb with his forbidden jutsu.

Turning his head to the side, Hiruko spoke in a voice devoid of any kind of emotion, "It appears as though we have visitors."

"Would you like us to eliminate them for you, Hiruko-sama?" asked Ichi, hoping for a chance to kill something. Ni and San merely shook their heads at their brother's love of battle but couldn't blame him. They had been spending most of their team just spying on the Hidden Villages, looking for potential kekkei genkai wielders for Hiruko to absorb.

"No," drawled Hiruko his eyes closed in concentration, "Let them come, I wish to greet them personally." On the inside however, he was curious about what they could possibly gain from this, _'So little Kakashi, Guy and Asuma are all grown up, this should be quite the interesting reunion.'_

_With the New Sannin_

"Something isn't right," whispered a still cloaked Kakashi as he and his fellow Sannin passed through the third gate leading to the shrine. "According to our spies, Hiruko has three people who serve as his team, but we haven't met any kind of resistance so far."

"Is it possible they do not know of our presence?" asked Asuma, for once not smoking.

"Not likely," said Kakashi uncovering his Sharingan as they approached the fourth and final gate. "Though Hiruko wasn't able to become as powerful as the Sannin, he was a very gifted sensor. He's probably been aware of our presence since we passed the first gate."

"Very perceptive Kakashi-kun," said a calm voice from all around them. Immediately on guard, the three Konoha shinobi barely had a second to react before a white blur appeared in front of them, punching at the ground. The ground around them exploded in a shower of earth and rock due to the power behind the punch.

'_That strength, it could almost be comparable to Tsunade's,' _thought Kakashi as he as landed a few feet away, with Guy and Asuma at his side. Using his Sharingan to penetrate the small dust cloud, Kakashi caught a glimpse of a black hand before it was covered up by a long white sleeve. Once the dust had settled the three men got a better look at the creator of the Chimera Jutsu.

"What the hell, how can he look so young, he's supposed to be as old as a predecessors," mumbled Asuma as he and his team mates each fell into battle ready stances.

Turning to the three startled shinobi, Hiruko couldn't help but chuckled slightly, "My, my, my, look at you three; you've grown so much while I was away. Now, why are you here? I doubt it was just to drop in and say hello to your old uncle Hiruko."

Guy and Asuma scowled at the bandaged wrapped shinobi, but said nothing. Kakashi, being the unofficial leader, spoke up, "We were sent by the Sandaime Hokage to deliver a message to you." Unclasping one of the pockets on his vest, Kakashi let a scroll slide into his hand before throwing it to Hiruko.

Before it reached him however, a mutated snake head shot out from the surrounding forest and closed its jaws around the scroll. The Sannin looked surprised for a second before they readied themselves for a fight. Hiruko though, made no move to attack or defend, "Ichi, that wasn't necessary, if the scroll was a trap I would have sensed it. The only chakra coming from it is the chakra holding the seal closed."

'_Incredible, that he can sense such a miniscule amount of chakra is a testament to his abilities as a sensor. I doubt even the Sharingan or Byakugan would be able to have detected the chakra in the scroll.' _Kakashi was brought out of his reverie when the three people, who he assumed where Hiruko's team, appeared next to the rogue ninja.

"Sorry Hiruko-sama, but you can never be too careful," said Ichi as the snake head coming out of his arm opened and dropped the scroll into his leaders waiting hand.

Releasing the seal holding the scroll closed, Hiruko unrolled the paper to reveal a letter in very familiar hand writing.

_Hiruko,_

_I know you don't care much for long winded explanations, so I will get to the point. I wish to apologize for my foolish mistake in trying to have my traitorous students assassinate you. Only now do I realize what a benefit your unique technique is, the ability to absorb an external kekkei genkai and make it one's own is truly a feet worthy of praise._

_To that end, I wish to extend to you an offer. At the end of this letter you will find a seal containing documents I have personally signed and approved, pardoning you of all past transgressions._

_Now you're probably wondering why I am doing all of this, the answer is simple. I know you seek revenge on my former students for betraying you, and I wish to help in that endeavor. Recently, Jiraiya betrayed Konoha and became a rogue shinobi. With Orochimaru being classed a traitor and Tsunade's abandonment of us, all of them are deserving of death. Should you chose to once again become a shinobi of Konoha, you will be granted your own personal laboratory and any experiment you wish to conduct will have the full backing of the Hokage and Elder's._

_I hope you accept this offer, as it will be beneficial to all of us._

_Hiruzen Sarutobi- Sandaime Hokage_

Hiruko's left brow kept rising as he continued to read, _'Hmmm, so all of my so called 'friends' have abandoned Konoha, this would indeed be beneficial to all.'_ Unsealing a small storage scroll at the end of the letter, Hiruko found an official pardon, signed and sealed by the Sandaime Hokage, forgiving him of all past transgressions, just as the letter said. "Well now, isn't this a pleasant surprise, and a rather interesting turn of events," he mused as he handed the letter over to Ni who skimmed through it before passing it on to Ichi and San. "What do you three think?"

"This is a very good offer, almost too good," said San as he rolled the scroll back up and returned it to Hiruko. "It could be an elaborate ploy to assassinate you."

"True," drawled the white haired man, "But I doubt Sarutobi would risk sending an official pardon, if this were a trap. With this single piece of paper I could waltz right up to his desk and no one would be able to do anything about it."

"Maybe, but how can you be certain that the document is official?" questioned Ni, still skeptical of the situation.

"A valid question Ni-chan, but I know for certain this is official because it is written on a special paper that is laced with the current Hokage's chakra. It is an old method of making sure all documents signed by the Hokage are indeed genuine and not some kind of trap." That earned him some surprised looks from everyone, not even Kakashi, a retired Anbu Captain, had been aware of that piece of information. "Well, it is only courteous that we at least hear the Hokage out. After all, matters such as this deserved to be explained in their entirety." Turning to the new Sannin, he made a small gesture, motioning for them to go first, "After you."

Nodding in understanding, Kakashi turned to Guy and Asuma, "Delta formation, we'll move at top speed." Nodding in agreement, Guy and Asuma moved so the three of them were forming a delta around Hiruko and his team. While his three subordinates looked uneasy about the formation, Hiruko merely shrugged before once again motioning for Kakashi to lead the way. "Let's move," with that the six shinobi and one kunoichi started making their way down Mount Shumisen and through the Land of Grass towards Konoha.

**Well there you go everybody, hope you enjoyed it. R&R please! Now I didn't hold true to what I said in the last chapter, but this time I will.**

**I will not update again until there are at least 25-30 reviews. I will not even begin writing the next chapter for this story, or any of my other stories until there is a suitable number of reviews. So for those of you want me to update my other stories as well, you better review! :)  
**

**Good luck!**

**BSW**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, I'm back! Now before we get to our usual business, I would like to offer up my sincerest apologies for the delayed update. When you all reached the review goal, I had planned on having the chapter ready a week afterward, but this one was harder to write then I had thought it would be. Because of this, I ask that you please leave me a review if there is something you don't understand, or if you just have a question about the chapter in general. But please keep the reviews kind and friendly, as always any and all flames will be ignored and deleted.**

**sheltie- As always it is wonderful to hear from you my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed what I did with the Sannin, and I hope you enjoy the twists I put into this chapter as well.**

**the iriatation- I had actually planned on following your suggestion before you even posted it. However, that doesn't mean I want make adjustments to characters already in Konoha. As for your idea with Akatsuki, I had considered doing something like that, but with everything else I have planned, it wouldn't really work out.**

**armybound- I'm glad you are enjoying the story. I really liked Guren as well, and her agitation with Kabuto was perfect fit for what I had planned to do with her. Don't worry, I'll keep on writing, you just keep those review coming!**

**Darkcush- That is an excellent idea, I was toying with the idea of doing something like that, but I could never make up my mind about it. But now that you bring it up, it would be interesting.**

**Artist of War Ares- Read and find out.**

**soarath- I am well aware of this fact, but it was the only way for things to work out as I had planned for later on in the story.**

**As always, I own nothing related to Naruto.**

**Chapter 8- The Uchiha Clan**

_Konohagakure- Hokage Tower_

Itachi Uchiha, the eldest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, was considered by many to be the greatest genius to be born into the Uchiha clan since Madara himself. After graduating the Academy at age seven, awakening and mastering his Sharingan at eight, being promoted to chuunin at age ten and becoming an Anbu Captain at thirteen, many of the villagers believed him to be well on his way to being the next Hokage.

Unfortunately for them, Fate had other plans for the young Uchiha genius.

Currently, the fifteen year old Anbu Captain was walking towards the Hokage's office to pick up a mission for his squad. Stopping at the receptionist's desk, the weasel masked teen spoke in his usual Uchiha monotone, "I am here to see the Hokage about a mission for my squad."

"Of course," said Yuki as she looked up from her paperwork, "I believe he is debriefing the tracking squad he sent out a few days ago, but he should be done by in few minutes." Keeping up his typical Uchiha appearance, Itachi merely nodded and continued on his way.

'_So the team Shisui was placed on is back already? That seems rather fast considering it was a long term tracking assignment,' _thought the teenager as a small sense of dread welled up inside him. "Something must have happened," he mumbled before disappearing in a shunshin and appearing just outside of the Hokage's office. Just as he was about to enter, the door opened revealing a bruised and battered Tsume Inuzuka. Reacting before she or anyone else noticed him, he vanished into the shadows to observe the situation.

It was clear from her appearance that she had taken part in quite a battle, and the injuries he could see on her partner just helped solidify that fact. Following after her was an equally ragged looking Shibi Aburame. Though he didn't appear to have many exterior injuries, his pale complexion was a clear indication that he had been exposed to a potent poison. When no one else exited the office with them, the feeling of dread that had been slowly growing inside Itachi doubled in size as one thought passed through his mind, _'Where is Shisui?'_

Placing some of his most powerful genjutsu on the area around the door to the Hokage's office, Itachi moved in front of the door and channeled chakra into his ears. Focusing on the voices inside of the office, he prayed that his best friend wasn't dead, but the conversation only confirmed it.

_Hokage's Office- Same Time_

The Sandaime Hokage leaned back into his chair with a small frown on his face. The Elder's sat across from him, all of them mirroring the same frown. "What now Sarutobi, with Tsunade-hime siding with Jiraiya, getting young Naruto back into the village will become twice as hard," said Homura.

"Homura is right Hiruzen, this turn of events not only puts the wayward Namikaze further out of reach, but it will also drastically reduce the quality of the medics we produce," said Koharu, while Homura absently nodded in agreement.

Sarutobi merely nodded absent mindedly at the points his advisors were making, "That may be Koharu, but we have more pressing matters to consider at the moment." Koharu and Homura looked at their old team mate with confusion clear on their face, in their minds; getting the heir of the Sage of the Six Paths back into the village was the number one priority. "Considering what happened to Ookami and Shiromaru, and the fact that Shibi was forced to retreat due to being poisoned by Shizune, it is a safe bet that young Shisui Uchiha is also dead."

"So what if another Uchiha dies, they are a liability as it is," said Homura, unknowingly causing anger to well up inside of Itachi. "I still believe Tobirama-sensei was far too light on them when he put restrictions on their power. Merely ostracizing them to the outskirts, and taking away a good portion of their political power in the village were not enough to make sure another Madara never appeared. He should have executed that rebellious Setsuna for trying to over throw his power; that would have gotten the message across fairly well."

"That's enough Homura," said Danzo, speaking for the first time, "While what you say may be true, there are things about the Uchiha you and Koharu are not aware of." This got the other two Elders' attention; there weren't many things about the village they didn't know, but the Uchiha clan had always been somewhat of an enigma. "The loss of young Shisui is more harming to the village's power than you first thought. While he was indeed a powerful shinobi, it is not the loss of his skills that is harmful, but the loss of his eyes. Apparently there is another level of Sharingan, beyond that of the third tomoe."

"Another level beyond the third tomoe?! How is that possible?" asked a shell shocked Koharu. While she and Homura may not have known much about the Uchiha clan in depth, almost the entire world knew about the Sharingan and its stages.

Clearing his throat to bring attention back to him, the Sandaime picked up where Danzo left off, "As farfetched as it sounds, there is indeed a form of Sharingan beyond the last tomoe, and young Shisui unlocked it. This new form of Sharingan is called the Mangekyo Sharingan; unfortunately that is where our knowledge of these new eyes ends. We had planned on kidnapping Shisui once he returned and making it appear like he committed suicide to find out more about his eyes, but it appears that plan is no longer viable."

"I take it we will be falling back on our original plan then?" asked Danzo, receiving a nod of agreement from the aged kage.

"Yes," said Hiruzen, "Kakashi's messenger dog said they were a few hours away from the village, so in two days' time we will kidnap as many Uchiha as we can and see if Hiruko can successfully transplant their Sharingan's into a new host."

_With Itachi_

The weasel masked Anbu Captain stood rigid at the conversation he just over heard. That the leaders of the village he protected, the village he loved, could betray him and his clan like this was unthinkable. But it was true, the Hokage he swore to serve, the man many saw as a kind of pseudo grandfather, was planning to kidnap his fellow Uchiha and use them as little more than guinea pigs. For Itachi though, the biggest betrayal was the one they committed against Shisui.

To learn that Shisui died, and then discover that the Hokage and Elder's didn't even consider his death a loss was both agonizing and infuriating at the same time. All his life, people called him a genius, a prodigy, the civilians might as well have worshiped the very ground he walked on with how they acted. But what they didn't know was that he never would have gotten to where he is now without the support of Shisui. He may have only been a year older than him, but to him Shisui was a person he could talk to about anything, he was his big brother, his niisan.

On the verge of a breakdown, Itachi quickly dispelled his genjutsu's and used multiple shunshin's to get to the one place no one would be able to see him, unaware of the set of eyes that been watching him. With one last shunshin, the teen landed outside of a fenced off forest before jumping over the fence and moving deeper into the foreboding trees. As he was jumping through the trees, a stream of tears quietly fell from his onyx eyes, completely uninhibited.

Landing in a clearing just outside of the central tower in the Forest of Death, Itachi Uchiha, the man who never showed any kind of emotion to anyone but his family, brook down into sobs, _'Shisui, please no, you can't be dead.' _

But he was; the person he loved as much as his own brother Sasuke loved him was dead. "Shisui…Shisui…SHISUI!" screamed Itachi as he looked towards the darkening skies that showed through the immense canopy.

A single drop of rain landed on his now bare forehead as he continued to mourn the loss of his niisan. Unknown to all, even Itachi himself, his chakra reserves were growing and expanding at a rapid rate. The single drop of rain slowly made its way down his temple, before it mixed with the blood red tears now falling from Itachi's eyes. A crash of thunder sounded through the village, causing Itachi's eyes to snap open revealing his fully matured Sharingan. The tomoe around his pupil suddenly began to spin at incredible speeds before they blurred together. Unleashing another agonized cry, Itachi reached up to his now burning eyes and cried out in both pain and sorrow.

A snake the size of a house came to investigate the unusual noise that had awakened it. Seeing a vulnerable prey, the snake launched itself forward in hopes of getting a small snack. Before it had a chance to react, the monstrous snake was looking into blood red eyes with a three bladed shuriken spinning in them. That would be the last thing the snake ever saw as the wielder of the eyes whispered one word, "Tsukuyomi."

A second later, the snake lay in the clearing, dead to the world. Itachi looked at the first victim of his Mangekyo Sharingan with tears still streaming down his face. Unconsciously cutting the flow of chakra to his eyes, the Anbu Captains eyes returned to that of his normal Sharingan before becoming his normal onyx ones. For what felt like ages, Itachi simply stood there, looking at the corpse of the snake, that was until he remembered what he had heard the Hokage and Elder's planning. "I have to warn the clan, I won't allow them to get away with this crime," said Itachi before blurring out of sight.

_Just Outside of Konohagakure_

Seven blurs stopped on a branch a few yards from the imposing gates of Konoha. The shortest of the group stepped forward and tilted his head to the side slightly, "Now isn't this nostalgic," said Hiruko as he took in the sight of his former village. "Now I believe we have an appointment with the Hokage, best not keep him waiting," he drawled as he jumped from his place on the branch, quickly followed by his subordinates and the Sannin.

In short time they were making their way across the roofs of the village towards the red tower that housed the Hokage. Landing just outside of the building, Kakashi took the lead followed by Hiruko and his team, with Guy and Asuma bringing up the rear.

"We're here to see the Hokage, he's expecting us," said Kakashi as he stood in front of the receptionist desk.

"Of course Kakashi-sama, go right on in," said Yuki as she looked up and smiled at the young Sannin. Nodding in acknowledgement, Kakashi motioned for his six companions to follow him.

As they were walking towards the Hokage's office, Hiruko spoke up, "Kakashi-_sama, _it seems you have become quite famous in the village since your time as a genin."

"Yeah, being a Sannin kind of helps in that department," said Kakashi as they stopped outside of the oak door to the Hokage's office.

"Yes," said Hiruko in his usual drawl, "I'm well aware of that fact." The Sannin didn't notice it, but Ichi, Ni and San know Hiruko well enough to know the signs of his anger. The three of them subtly moved just a little farther from Hiruko, knowing that if he got any angrier, things were going to get messy.

"Enter," said Hiruzen when he heard a knock on his door. Looking up from the paperwork he was going through, he watched as the Sannin and four people who could only be Hiruko and his team entered his office.

"Mission complete, Hokage-sama," said Kakashi as he and his fellow Sannin stood in front of their leader.

"Good work you three, you're dismissed for now," nodding in understanding, the three shinobi shunshin'd out of the office. "Hiruko, it has been a long time," started Hiruzen as the white clad shinobi stepped forward with his team, "I hope your time away was well spent."

"Indeed, Hokage-sama," said Hiruko as he looked around the office, "I must say, I had expected someone to have redecorated this office by now, but I digress. You said in your letter that all of the former Sannin, or should I say my former 'friends' have all abandoned the village. If you don't mind, will please elaborate on that a bit."

"Of course," said Sarutobi as he leaned forward and propped his elbows up on his desk. "As you are already well aware, Orochimaru betrayed us some years ago when he was caught experimenting on innocents. Tsunade left us some time after the end of the Second War, claiming the village had taken everything she ever cared about away from her."

"I am well aware of this," said Hiruko, interrupting the Hokage, "As are most of the shinobi villages, what I am interested in hearing about is Jiraiya's recent betrayal. It was common knowledge that by far, he was the most loyal to you out of the three of them. How is it that a man like him, would just up and betray the very person who he considered a father?"

The Sandaime could easily make out the underlying threat in Hiruko's words, and he couldn't exactly blame him for it. "Your suspicion is understandable, but the answer is simple. Jiraiya believes I betrayed him in an attempt to help increase the village's power."

That got Hiruko's attention, "And how pray tell; did you commit this betrayal?" _'Perhaps this offer will be more beneficial than I first thought,' _thought Hiruko. Slowly but surely, his opinion of the aged kage was changing. If the man was willing to betray Jiraiya, his most loyal subordinate, to increase his village's power, than perhaps he could be persuaded to do other things as well. _'Achieving my perfect body might have just gotten that much easier.'_

Sarutobi frowned as he remembered the event that started this entire cycle of events, "In order for you to understand, I suppose it best to start at the beginning. You may want to take a seat, this could take quite some time." The four wielders of the Chimera Jutsu obliged and moved to sit in front of the Hokage. Hiruko and San each took one of the chairs, while Ni sat on the arm of Hiruko's chair and Ichi leaned into the side of San's.

Taking a deep breath, the Sandaime began to retell the events of that fateful night, "A little over two years ago, a team of Anbu I had sent on a mission to the Land of Mountains returned from their mission with a scroll. Inside of that scroll was a hand written letter from the Sage of the Six Paths himself."

The three sibling's eyes widened shock while Hiruko's eyebrows rose slightly, "The Sage of the Six Paths, as in, _the _Sage of the Six Paths, the one who founded the shinobi world, that Sage of the Six Paths?" asked Ichi, who was struggling to keep his voice from cracking.

"Yes," said the Sandaime with a nod, "It seems as though he had some very unique abilities in life, one of which appears to have been the ability to see into the future, if only briefly. It was because of this ability that the Sage wrote the letter, addressing it to his one true heir and successor."

"Heir, you say?" asked Hiruko with a small amount of surprise in his voice. At Sarutobi's nod, the white haired shinobi continued, "If that is the case, than who is this heir the Sage addressed the letter to?"

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki," started Sarutobi only to be interrupted by Hiruko, even more surprise showing in his normally controlled voice.

"The Kyuubi jinchuuriki is the heir to the Sage?"

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at that question, "Yes, the very same, but how exactly did you know the young Naruto was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki; that information is highly classified."

Hiruko chuckled slightly before he answered, "Your shinobi may understand the meaning of classified, the civilians however, not so much. I overheard the information from a merchant from Konoha who was passing through the Land of Grass a few years ago."

"Hmmm, I suppose I'll have to deal with that person at a later time," said Sarutobi as he made a quick note on a piece of paper, "But we have gotten off topic, using the information in the letter, I sent a team of shinobi to help Naruto awaken the Rinnegan. Don't bother asking about the process to awaken the Rinnegan, it would be foolish of me to just hand out classified information."

"Understandable," said Hiruko with a small nod, "Though, I am curious about Jiraiya's connection to the boy."

"Yes, you see Jiraiya was named the boys godfather, and when he found out about what we did to Naruto to allow him to awaken the Rinnegan, well needless to say he wasn't pleased."

Hiruko raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, "Jiraiya is the boys godfather, well that certainly is surprising. Who were the boy's parents?"

"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki," said the Sandaime as his eyes drifted over to a shadowed corner of his office before returning to the four people in front of him.

"Minato Namikaze? The Yondaime Hokage is his father?" said Ni in exasperation. Shaking her head slightly, she held up her left hand and began counting off, "Let me see if I've got this straight, this Naruto kid is not only the heir of the Sage of the Six Paths, but he is also the godson of Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and the son of the Yondaime Hokage and Red Death of Konoha?" At Sarutobi's nod, Ni started rubbing her temple, "Damn, I really want to meet this guy now, his heritage pretty much makes him the prince of our world."

Sarutobi chuckled slightly as he leaned back into his chair, "Yes, I suppose it does. Now onto the main reason you're here," said Sarutobi as all traces of laughter vanished from his face, "Hiruko, now that you know this, will you consider rejoining Konoha's forces?"

This was the question Hiruko had been expecting ever since he set foot in the Hokage's office; and with the things he just learned, his answer was already made. "Yes," said the white clad shinobi with a small nod, "On the condition Ichi-kun, Ni-chan, and San-kun are installed as my personal team."

A smirk appeared on Sarutobi's face, "Of course Hiruko, the paperwork has already been filled out and accommodations have been made for you and your team. I will have an Anbu escort you their once we are finished here; but first onto the matter of you conducting experiments. As I said in the letter, any experiment you wish to conduct will have the full backing of the Hokage and the Elders, also we will be supplying you with test subjects, most of which will be in the form of captured foreign ninja. However, if you feel these subjects aren't enough, we will also grant you access to Konoha's maximum security prison for you to select any promising candidates you may find."

All four of the newly instated Konoha shinobi's eyes widened at that, even the calm Hiruko. "That's quite generous of you; now if it's alright, I think my team and I would like to retire to our accommodations and rest for a bit."

"Of course, but before you go there is one other thing I need to ask you," said Sarutobi with frown on his face, "In two days' time, we will be capturing a handful of Uchiha and we will need you to help transplant their Sharingan's into some new hosts if possible. We will provide you with notes we recovered from one of Orochimaru's labs for you to look over if it would help."

Once again raising an eyebrow in mild surprise, Hiruko nodded in agreement, "Very well, have someone take the notes to the lab you mentioned in the letter, I will look them over tomorrow."

"Good, you're dismissed," said the Hokage with a nod as an Anbu appeared and led the four newly installed Konoha ninja away. Once he was alone he turned his attention back to the shadowed corner of his office, "You're developing a habit for this Danzo."

A small chuckle came from the shadows before the bandaged Elder walked out to stand in front of the Hokage. "Perhaps, but I am curious Hiruzen; was it wise to tell Hiruko so much about the boy?"

"Whether it was wise or not didn't play a part in my decision. It would have been impossible to explain Jiraiya's sudden leaving without telling him about Naruto, and that would have made getting him to rejoin us that much harder." Danzo nodded in understanding and was about to take his leave when an Anbu with a blank mask appeared before the two men.

"What is the meaning of this Fuu?" asked Danzo as he moved to stand by the Hokage. Both aged men had small frowns on their faces as they waited for the Root Anbu member to explain himself. If there was one thing Danzo pounded into his Root Anbu, it was to obey the chain of command. Fuu, along with three other Root Agents, had been ordered to guard the Hokage's office from the outside and only enter if the situation demanded it.

"Forgive me Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama, but there is something that you should know."

"What might that be, Fuu?" asked the Hokage as he lit his pipe and took a few puffs.

"Itachi Uchiha overheard the meeting between the two of you and Koharu-sama and Homura-sama earlier today. He knows of the plan to capture his fellow Uchiha and it is a safe assumption that he has already informed the rest of his clan about it."

A strong silence descended over the office as the two men processed the information. For what felt like an eternity, the two veteran warriors stayed silent in contemplation, until it was broken by the Hokage. "This is troubling news indeed. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but it appears we have no other choice in the matter." Glancing over at the bandaged man at his side, the Hokage continued, "What do you think Danzo?"

Letting out an almost unnoticeable sigh, Danzo nodded in agreement, "I fear you are correct Hiruzen, there is no other way around it."

Letting out a sigh of his own, the Sandaime nodded before turning back to the kneeling Anbu before him. "Fuu, you and your squad are dismissed. Notify as many other Root members as you can to be present for an emergency meeting tomorrow morning."

"At once Hokage-sama," said Fuu before he vanished in a shunshin to carry out his orders.

Sarutobi spun around in his chair so he was facing his one-time rival, "Danzo, gather whatever forces you have in reserve and prepare them for this mission."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Danzo said before vanishing in much the same fashion as Fuu.

Turning to look over his village, the Sandaime cast his eyes in the direction of the Uchiha clan compound. "It seems that once again, I am forced to make a life changing decision for the betterment of the village. I hope you can live with this Itachi; because of you, the Uchiha clan will be eradicated."

_Uchiha clan compound- Same Time_

Itachi was jumping from roof to roof as he made his way back to his clan's compound. Clearing another roof top, the compound came into view and Itachi couldn't help but slightly admire the beauty of his home in the dimming sunlight. "Now isn't the time for that," mumbled Itachi as he continued on his way. Jumping from the roof of another building, the young Uchiha cleared the walls that guarded the compound and wasted little time in making his way to his family's house.

Walking up the pathway towards the traditional Japanese style home, Itachi pushed open the sliding door and walked into the entranceway of his home. Removing his sandals, the teen's attention was caught by the sound of his mother's voice coming from the kitchen. "Itachi-kun, is that you?"

"Yes mother, it's me," answered Itachi as he got up and moved towards the kitchen. Walking into the room that doubled as both the kitchen and dining room, Itachi saw his mother, Mikoto already cooking dinner, while his father, Fugaku was reading over a few scrolls at the table. "Where is Sasuke?" asked the Anbu Captain when he noticed his hyper brother wasn't already bugging him about training.

"He said he was going to stay after at the Academy to work on his shuriken jutsu. Did you need him for something?" said Fugaku as he put the scroll he was reading down to look at his eldest son. To everyone that wasn't a member of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha was a stern, uncaring individual who many considered an emotionless bastard who didn't care about anyone. Inside of the clan however, he was nothing of the sort. In the eyes of many Uchiha, Fugaku was the epitome of what it meant to be an Uchiha. He had all of the typical Uchiha physical traits; short black hair that reached his shoulders and the onyx eyes that hid his Sharingan. But that wasn't what many believed made him the embodiment of the Uchiha. No, it was his personality that many admired. He was a father figure to many of the Uchiha children besides his own two sons, and no matter how busy he got sometimes, he always found time to play with those children and socialize with his fellow Uchiha clansmen.

Shaking his head, Itachi removed all of his weapons and set them against the wall before joining his father at the table. "No, it is probably best that he not be here for a while."

Unnerved by the unusual statement from her eldest son, Mikoto walked over and sat with her husband and eldest. "Why's that Itachi? Is something wrong?"

Itachi sighed before turning to face his mother. She was truly a beautiful woman who took all of the typical traits of the Uchiha and somehow managed to make them take on an exotic appearance. Her long black hair well down to the middle of her back with two bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and onyx eyes. Thanks to her training as a kunoichi, she had a slim body that many women dreamed of having their whole lives, and because of it, she sometimes had to fend off men with a stick, or a katana, whichever was closer at the time.

"Unfortunately there is mother, but it is best that I wait and tell everyone at once. Father, please call a clan meeting as soon as possible, this information is vital to the survival of the Uchiha clan." That statement froze both Uchiha parents. Ever since he was young, Itachi had been a very serious boy and rarely, if ever, lied about or over exaggerated things.

"Alright, I'll call an emergency meeting at once. Itachi, I love you son, but for once; I hope you are wrong about something."

"I wish I was wrong about this as well father, but sadly that is not the case," said Itachi as he got up and followed his father out of the house to gather the rest of the Uchiha's.

_Naka Shrine- Uchiha Meeting Room_

It hadn't taken long for the Uchiha Clan Head and his destined successor to gather the rest of the Uchiha together. In just under twenty minutes, they had managed to gather together every member of the Uchiha clan that was either an active or retired shinobi, or a member of the Police Force.

The room they had gathered in was rather plain in its design; the walls were made of a dull grey stone with seal tags placed at random points along them and a plain wooden floor. At the front of the room, was a small alcove that housed the sacred tablet of the Uchiha, the tablet that held all of the lost secrets of the clan. On either side of the tablet were carvings of the Uchiha clan symbol, with two larger, intricate carvings on the sides of the alcove.

"Why have you called this meeting Fugaku-sama?" asked Yashiro Uchiha, standing alongside his partners from the Police Force, Inabi and Tekka Uchiha.

Turning towards the grey haired Uchiha, Fugaku began the meeting, "I didn't, Itachi was the one who requested this meeting take place." A few mummers came from the gathered Uchiha; it was well known within the clan that Itachi hated these kinds of meetings. For him to request that one be convened… something was very wrong. "He didn't tell me what it was that caused him to ask for this meeting, but he did say that it was vital to our clan's survival."

A few gasps could be heard from the gathered shinobi as another member of the Uchiha Police stepped forward. "What do you mean vital to the clans survival?" asked the man with a shaky voice that betrayed the anxiety he was feeling. Stepping forward to stand beside his father, Itachi began his tale.

"Earlier today, as I was going to retrieve a mission for my squad, I overheard a meeting between the Sandaime and the Elders. Apparently, the tracking squad that Shisui had been assigned to had returned earlier today." Fighting back a small sob, Itachi lowered his head, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. "But, only two members of the team returned," a small, chocked sob escaped the young shinobi as he fought to keep his emotions under control. "Shisui…was not one of them…he was killed during an encounter with Jiraiya and Tsunade."

Silence enveloped the gathered Uchiha as the news of Shisui's death settled into everyone's minds. Being a shinobi clan had forced them to accept the fact that anyone of them could die at any moment; but even then, it didn't lessen the impact the death had. The death of Shisui though, was going to have an even larger impact on the clan than normal. Not only was he the only modern wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was also considered a son to almost everyone in the clan.

When he was just a young boy, he witnessed his parent's deaths at the hands of some bandits that had managed to enter the village. Overcome with grief at the loss of his parents, Shisui awakened his Mangekyo and used Kotoamatsukami on the bandits, forcing them to kill each other. Ever since, he had lived alone in his family's old house, but he had been unofficially adopted by everyone else in the Uchiha clan, including the young children who considered him a brother.

Composing himself again, Itachi wiped away the few stray tears that had escaped his eyes. "However, that is not the main reason I asked for this meeting. During the Sandaime's meeting with the Elders, I learned that they don't even care that Shisui is dead, they only are only upset over the loss of his eyes!" spat the teen as his killing intent started to spike. The young man's killing intent was joined by that of every other Uchiha present. "In two days they plan on capturing multiple Uchiha's so that they can use our eyes in some kind of experiment!"

Gasps of both horror and utter shock resonated throughout the chamber as many of the assembled Uchiha instinctively activated their Sharingan's. "They have gone too far this time," said an Uchiha elder as his Sharingan began to spin, "First the Nidaime ostracizes us to the outskirts of the village, under the guise of maintaining the peace, and now the Sandaime wishes to use us as no more than guinea pigs? We cannot let this betrayal go without consequence; we must strike them before they strike us!"

Shouts of agreement came from many of the assembled Uchiha, but others were more hesitant. "How do you propose we strike, hmm? Because of the Nidaime we have lost favor with the populous, gaining any kind of support for something we don't even have physical proof for would be impossible."

"Then we will have to settle with a coup d'état," said another Uchiha elder as she stepped forward, "Even if we don't have the support of the people, we cannot sit idly by and watch as this atrocity happens!"

This continued for the next several minutes, many of the younger Uchiha's present were in favor of a preemptive strike; and while the older ones were somewhat hesitant, they were quickly beginning to agree. While all of this was going on, Fugaku had remained quite as he considered all of the possibilities open to them.

Nodding to himself, Fugaku opened his eyes to reveal his own Sharingan, "Silence!" the arguing quickly ended as Fugaku caught the eye of many, daring them to ignore his orders. "While I agree that something must be done, a full out coup is simply not possible with our forces alone."

"Then what do you propose father?" asked Itachi, though he had a pretty good idea as to what his father could be planning.

"Simple, we cannot win an all-out fight against the might of the village, so we will do the next best thing. We will assassinate the Hokage and Elders before they have a chance to go through with their plans." Murmurs of agreement came from the assembled Uchiha as they thought over Fugaku's plan. "Then it is settled, tomorrow a team of assassins will find and execute the Hokage and Elders for their crimes against the Uchiha clan."

Everyone present nodded in understanding but before anyone could move, Itachi moved to stand in front of his father, "Father, I request that I be the one allowed to lead the mission."

"Why is that Itachi?" asked Fugaku, he knew Itachi's skills would be excellent for this kind of mission, but he was worried his son's emotions might overwhelm his commonsense if something went wrong.

"Shisui was the closest thing to a big brother I ever had, and with his death, I have inherited his legacy," this statement was met with quirked eyebrows from almost everyone present. They knew that Itachi viewed Shisui like an older brother, but what did he mean by inheriting his legacy? Channeling even more chakra into his eyes, Itachi's fully matured Sharingan began spinning before it morphed into the three bladed shuriken of his newly awakened Mangekyo. Fugaku took a step back in shock as he stared at his son's eyes.

"So that is what you meant by his legacy," whispered the Uchiha clan head, earning a nod from Itachi.

Turning around so that everyone else could see his new eyes, Itachi continued, ignoring the shocked gasps of his clansmen. "This is Shisui's legacy; my eyes were created by his death, and with them I will uphold his legacy by bringing those who have besmirched his name to justice." Everyone inside of the chamber couldn't help but marvel at Itachi's declaration. Not sense the time of the Endless War had an Uchiha shown such drive and dedication, or held such potential to become great. He may have only been fifteen, but every Uchiha present knew then and there, that Itachi was destined to become a great shinobi, and also, a great leader for the Uchiha clan.

Regaining his composure, Fugaku stepped forward and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Very well, Itachi I am placing you in charge of this mission. Make sure you have a team ready to begin the operation by noon tomorrow; we will go over the finer details then." Nodding in understanding, Itachi deactivated his eyes and moved to exit the chamber, with everyone else following shortly after.

_Hokage Tower- A few minutes later_

The Hokage was looking out over Konoha as he silently went over plans to insure the complete eradication of the Uchiha clan, after they had captured all that they needed of course. _'Hmm, despite the small number of ninja they have, they are all very skilled and with their Sharingan's, there is no telling what kind of jutsu they might pull out. However, we cannot afford for this battle to leak out into the village, nor can we allow it to be known that Root were the ones to carry out the deed.' _As the aged warrior continued to try and come up with possible explanations for the clan's massacre, as well as thinking of ways to keep the ensuing battle contained and out of the public eye, a cloaked figure appeared in front of his desk, before kneeling down.

"What do you have to report?" he asked without turning around.

"Hokage-sama, the Uchiha plan to assassinate you and the Elders tomorrow night to prevent you from going through with your plan," said the cloaked man as he continued to kneel before the Hokage.

The Hokage stayed silent as he factored this new piece of information into his plans before turning around to face his spy. "Very well, I expected them to do something like this anyway. No matter, we will just have to move up our plan to attack them to tomorrow night as well. Is there anything else you wish to report?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," started the man, "You just might be able to get your hands on a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan after all, despite Shisui's death."

"How?" asked the Hokage, finally giving his spy his full attention. In all truth, the loss of Shisui and subsequently, his eyes hadn't been that great a loss to the village's power as he and Danzo lead Koharu and Homura to believe. The loss of his eyes, and more importantly his unique Kotoamatsukami, had forced the two men to completely rethink their future plans. Originally, they had planned on using Shisui's eyes to place young Naruto under the Kotoamatsukami and manipulate him to want to return to Konoha, where they would turn him into the ultimate weapon for the village. Though they might not be able to use the Kotoamatsukami, the possibility of acquiring a set of Mangekyo Sharingan was much too good to pass up.

Smirking under his hood, the spy looked up to meet his leader's gaze, a fully matured Sharingan shining in his eyes. "Itachi Uchiha has awakened a Mangekyo. Apparently, learning of Shisui's death was what triggered his eyes to awaken."

"Itachi you say?" mumbled the Hokage, "Hmmm, capturing him alive will not be easy, but that is where you will come in. When we attack, I want you to find Itachi and convince him to follow you, I don't care how you do it, just make sure he does. Lead him to the south corner of the compound, there teams of our best Root operatives will attack and restrain him."

"Hai, Hokage-sama; but before that there is something else I must do that could help if we fail to capture Itachi."

The Hokage nodded slightly before turning to look at the village once again, "Very well, you're dismissed." The cloaked spy gave a nod before he vanished in a shunshin. "Tomorrow night is going to interesting," said the Hokage with a chuckle as he finished his mental assessment of the plans, "Very interesting indeed."

_The Next Day- Uchiha clan compound- Around ten o'clock at night_

Itachi stood in front of his father, dressed in his normal Anbu attire. His chosen team stood alongside him as they prepared to leave and begin their mission. The team mates he had chosen for this mission were some of the best the Uchiha clan had to offer. The first one was Yashiro Uchiha, the second in command of the Konoha Military Police Force and veteran shinobi that served during the Second Shinobi World War. He wore the standard attire of a Konoha jounin with the symbol of the police force on his shoulder instead of the usual red swirls.

The third and final member of the small team was none other than Itachi's mother, Mikoto Uchiha herself. Though she retired from active duty when she became pregnant with Itachi, the Uchiha woman had never become lax when it came to training. She was the one who helped train both Shisui and Itachi in genjutsu and using their genjutsu's through their Sharingan's. But as good as the two of them were in the field; neither of the young teens had ever managed to reach Mikoto's level of proficiency with genjutsu. Forgoing her usual attire, Mikoto had donned her former kunoichi outfit. A skin tight, sleeveless black blouse with a high collar, emblazoned with the Uchiha crest on the back. Skin tight black shorts that stop just above her knees, black boots and a dark red cloth wrapped around her waist and held in place by a black rope as a make shift skirt completed her outfit. Strapped to the back of her waist was a katana in a black sheath with a miniature version of the Uchiha crest on either side of the hilt.

Fugaku smirked as he looked over the team his son had put together, "Itachi I must say, you certainly know how to choose an excellent team." Itachi smirked slightly at his father's praise before schooling his face back into an emotionless mask. Seeing his son ready to begin Fugaku addresses the three ninja before him. "Alright, you know your mission; assassinate the Hokage and Elders before they have a chance to cause any more harm to our clan. Your first target will be the Hokage, after you have eliminated him, move on to the Elders; just make sure that all of them die tonight."

"Hai, Fugaku-sama," said the three ninja. Just as they were about to jump away and begin their mission, a large light blue barrier appeared around the entire Uchiha compound. "What the…" started Itachi only to be interrupted by a blood curdling scream from across the compound.

"Let's move," said Fugaku as he jumped away towards the source of the scream, with Itachi, Mikoto, and Yashiro in hot pursuit. Along the way they were joined by other Uchiha shinobi and kunoichi that were awakened or heard the scream.

When they reached the source of the scream, they were horrified at the scene unfolding before them. Bodies littered the streets of the Uchiha compound, some of them once belonging to shinobi and kunoichi wearing blank Anbu masks, but most of them belonging to former Uchiha's. What horrified them the most was that the Uchiha bodies were not only the ones of Uchiha ninja, but also those of civilians and worst of all, children and infants.

Overcome with rage at the sight of their clansmen being killed, the assembled Uchiha sprang headfirst into the fray to avenge their fallen brethren.

_Just outside the compound- Same Time_

The Hokage and Danzo stood before a hundred Root Anbu in an underground stronghold, just outside of the Uchiha compound perimeter. "As you all know, the Uchiha clan will attempt to assassinate myself, Danzo and the other Elders tonight. This cannot be allowed to happen. Once the barrier team is ready, they will raise a barrier that will trap all of the Uchiha's inside the compound. After the barrier is formed, you will swarm the compound and capture as many living Uchiha's as possible or take their eyes before you kill them. However, should they prove too difficult to capture, eliminate them with extreme prejudice."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said of the Root agents together. The Hokage turned to Danzo and nodded before he vanished in a shunshin back to his office to await the report from his former rival.

Said bandage shinobi spoke into the communicator in his ear, "Barrier team, seal off the compound."

"At once Danzo-sama," replied a static filled voice from the other end. Turning back to the gathered Root shinobi, Danzo gave the command that would spell the end of the Uchiha clan.

"Begin the assault."

_With Itachi, Fugaku and Mikoto_

The three Uchiha's were tearing through the Root forces like a hot knife through butter. Itachi and Mikoto were cutting down any and all enemies that came near them with their katana's, while Fugaku was unleashing a myriad of jutsu at the invading Root shinobi.

"I guess it's a good thing Sasuke decided to stay after school again to train," said Itachi as he cut down another enemy before placing three more under a genjutsu and leaving them to kill each other.

"Yeah, I just hope they don't find him there and he can stay away until we get rid of these pests," said Mikoto as she beheaded a Root kunoichi and launched a hail of kunai at some more approaching ones.

"Stay focused you two, we have to prevent them from getting any further into the compound," shouted Fugaku as he killed another group of Root Anbu with a Katon jutsu. Nodding to themselves, Itachi and Mikoto jumped towards an approaching group of Root shinobi and began to cut them down with a deadly dance of blades.

_A block away- Same Time_

"How are you doing Tekka?" asked Yashiro as he slit another Root Anbu's throat with his kunai. A few feet away, one his longtime partner's roasted another enemy with fire infused tanto.

"Pretty good, but where the hell is Inabi? I thought he was supposed to be on watch duty tonight?" said Tekka as he jumped over to Yashiro so they were back to back. Before the veteran Uchiha had a chance to respond, the Root shinobi surrounding them suddenly stopped and backed away, forming a large circle around the two Uchiha shinobi.

"What the hell, why did they stop?" mumbled Yashiro as he settled into a defensive stance.

"They stopped because I ordered them too," said a familiar voice as from above them. The two surrounded Uchiha's looked up at a nearby roof top only to see a cloaked figure staring back at them with a pair of Sharingan eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Tekka as he activated his own Sharingan, with Yashiro following shortly after. The cloaked figure chuckled slightly but made no motion to move from his place on the roof.

"Why don't you tell me Tekka, Yashiro; surely your Sharingan's can recognize the chakra of your own partner."

"Inabi?" asked Yashiro, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. Chuckling again, the cloaked figure pulled down his hood to reveal the smirking face of Inabi Uchiha. "Why? Why would you betray the clan like this? Why would you betray us, your best friends?"

"I thought that would have been obvious," said Inabi as he jumped and landed across from his best friends. "It's time I avenged my ancestor's betrayal, consider me the second coming of Madara Uchiha!" he shouted before throwing away his cloak and unsheathing the katana attached to his hip. Channeling chakra into the weapon, the blade began to glow a bright red before erupting into flames. Charging forward with his blazing sword at the ready, Inabi brought his blade forward with the intent of severing Tekka's head from his shoulders.

Reacting before his stunned comrade could, Yashiro jumped in front of the charging Inabi and blocked the flaming sword with a chakra infused kunai. This seemed to snap Tekka out of his daze as he jumped over the two clashing shinobi and threw a few shuriken at Inabi.

Breaking off from his struggle with Yashiro, Inabi jumped to the side to avoid the lethal stars. Landing a few yards away from the two Uchiha's, the traitorous Uchiha brought his sword back and swung it towards his former comrades, "Katon: Cry of the Phoenix." A wave of fire launched from the katana before taking the shape of two phoenixes.

"Shit, Tekka move!" shouted Yashiro as he sped through hand seals. "Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu," bringing his right hand up to his lips, he launched multiple balls of compressed water at the oncoming phoenixes. The two jutsu's collided and formed a thick cloud of steam that covered almost the entire block.

"Take them!" shouted Inabi from within the cloud. As one, all of the Root Anbu moved into the cloud and restrained the two Uchiha's. Clearing the steam with a quick Fuuton jutsu, Inabi was greeted with the sight of his two best friends being held down by Root Anbu. Walking up to the two captive shinobi, Inabi brought his katana forward so it was poised at Yashiro's neck, "Sorry guys, I would have loved to continue this little fight, but sadly I have other things that I have to take care of." Raising his blade, Inabi met Yashiro and Tekka's glares one last time before bringing his blade down and severing their heads from their bodies. "Farewell, my friends," he mumbled as his eyes began to burn.

Dropping his katana, Inabi fell to one knee as he gripped his burning eyes, just barely holding back a scream of pain. "Change in plans," he grunted, "Find Itachi and capture him, I'll meet up with you when I can." He just managed to see the Root Anbu nod and jump away in search of their target, before the burning in his eyes became too much and he let out a strangled scream as his eyes morphed into the form of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

_With Itachi_

Slitting the throat of another Root Anbu, Itachi spun around and launched a fireball as more Root tried to sneak up on him from behind. "There's no end to them," he said as he moved to help his parents who were being surrounded. Cutting through a few of the Root agents, Itachi landed beside his mother and father as they continued to defend themselves from the onslaught of enemies.

As they were fighting, an Uchiha chuunin landed beside Fugaku, "Sir, there are too many of them, they are over running our forces. Over two-thirds of the entire clan have either been killed or captured; we have no choice but to try and escape."

"Damn it," muttered Fugaku as he kicked away yet another Root member. Taking a moment to look around him, the Uchiha clan head saw nothing but bodies, all belonging to his fellow Uchiha. Looking up to the barrier surrounding the compound, Fugaku made a decision that he never thought he would have to make. "Hold them off as long as you can. We have no chance of winning this battle, but I'll be damned if I go down without a fight." Turning towards his wife and son, he shouted, "Mikoto, Itachi, retreat to the house!" before jumping away towards his family's home.

His wife and son were quick to follow him, both wondering what Fugaku had planned. Landing just outside their house, the three quickly made their way inside before Fugaku opened a hatch in the floor and motioned for the two get down. Knowing what her husband had planned, Mikoto quickly ushered Itachi down the wooden steps followed soon by Fugaku.

"Where are we going?" asked Itachi, unable to hold his curiosity in anymore.

"Not we Itachi, you," said Fugaku, as two torches blazed to life, revealing an altar. On the altar, was large black scroll with red trimming that had the Uchiha crest etched into the fabric. Picking up the scroll, Fugaku turned to his eldest son, "Itachi, this scroll contains all of the secrets of the Uchiha clan, from jutsu to the inscriptions on the tablet in the Naka Shrine. Itachi, as my eldest son, you were destined to succeed me when I died, and seems that time has come." The young teen's eyes widened as he listened to his father, "We have no hope of winning this battle, but the least we can do is ensure you escape alive."

"What? No I want leave you two to your deaths!" shouted Itachi as his Sharingan morphed into the form of his Mangekyo. "I can help fight them off with these eyes, I won't just…"

"That's enough Itachi!" shouted Fugaku as he starred into his sons Sharingan with his own. "You have not yet mastered the use of your eyes, and don't forget what happens when you overuse a Mangekyo." Walking up to his first born, the Uchiha clan head place the scroll into his sons hands, "You must escape Itachi, live to fight another day. Your mother and I will hold them off as long as we can, but you must leave as quickly as possible. Find Sasuke and take him with you, you two are the future of our clan. Now go, you can't waste any more time."

Mikoto walked over to a wall and placed her hand on it before channeling some chakra through it. A seal appeared around her hand for second before the wall moved to the side, revealing a hidden tunnel. Mikoto smiled at her son with tears in her eyes, "Go Itachi, Sasuke needs you, and I'm counting on you to take him safe."

With tears of his own threatening to fall, Itachi sealed the scroll his father gave him into a seal on his right arm guard. Turning to his father, he pulled him into a quick hug before doing the same with his mother. "I know I've never said it out loud, but I love you," said Itachi as he looked at his parents for what he knew would be the last time.

"We love you too son," they said together. Smiling at them one last time, Itachi turned and ran down the tunnel, his tears silently falling as he pictured the image of his parents, forever burned into his mind by his Sharingan.

A few minutes later, the young teen emerged from the tunnel a few blocks away from Uchiha compound. Tearing his gaze away from his home, Itachi jumped to the roofs and quickly made his way towards the Academy, hoping that Sasuke was still there. Unfortunately, he arrived at the Academy just in time to see three squads of Root Anbu carrying his brother away towards the Hokage Tower. "Sasuke, no!" shouted Itachi as he tried to stop the Anbu before they got too far.

"Do not engage, are target is the kid," said the apparent leader as all of the Root shinobi shunshin'd away, taking Sasuke with them.

"Damn it!" yelled Itachi as he watched the people who had kidnapped little brother escape. "Forgive me mother, father, I couldn't protect Sasuke," he mumbled before he jumped away towards the nearest gate. Landing on top of the gate a few minutes later, Itachi looked over towards the Hokage Tower before removing his headband. "I swear to you Sarutobi, I will return to free Sasuke one day, and when I do, you will pay for your crimes."

In one swift motion, the teenager pulled out a kunai and slashed through the leaf symbol on his headband. Retying the headband on his forehead, the now rogue Uchiha jumped into the forest surrounding Konoha, to await the day he would return and deliver justice to the guilty.

**Well there you have it everyone, like I said at the top, please review and let me know if I missed anything or if there is any confusion about what I did. Also, I personally felt that I might have rushed the chapter in some points, and if you feel the same, I apologies.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it, till next time my friends!**

**BSW**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated this story in a while but this chapter was trickier to get right than I thought it would be, but I finally got it done and I hope you all enjoy it! Now before you all get to the actual chapter there is something that I want to ask all of you. I plan on having Naruto and the other jinchuuriki wear a cloak similar to the ones worn by the Akatsuki, just with a different color scheme. I have a few idea's for color options but I would your all's input. The options I have come up with so far are:**

**1) A white cloak with dark blue clouds**

**2) A dark blue cloak with white clouds**

**3) A storm gray cloak with golden yellow clouds**

**4) A white cloak with red clouds**

**5) Other**

**I will admit I absolutely suck at matching colors so I am hoping that you all might be able to help me out, hence the reason for choice number 4. You can submit your votes any way you like, whether it be review or PM, just let me know as soon as possible cause the cloaks will probably make an appearance in the next chapter and if not than the one after that.**

**As usual, I own nothing**

**Chapter 9- Takigakure…Infiltrated!**

_Konohagakure- Hokage Tower_

The Hokage was looking over some of the left over paperwork on his desk when he felt the chakra that was sustaining the barrier around the Uchiha compound disappear. Turning his chair around to confirm what he was feeling, and sure enough, the light blue barrier that had been formed was dissolving. After the barrier had been completely dissolved, another presence appeared in his office. Already knowing who it was the Sandaime spoke without even turning to look at the person, "Report, Danzo."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said the voice of the bandaged Elder, "The operation was a success; our Root operatives were able to successfully capture a little over a hundred Uchiha's, all others have been removed from the equation. At last count, about half of the Uchiha's we captured held a fully matured Sharingan, the remaining ones are an assortment of teens and young children with recently awakened Sharingan's, and a handful of Uchiha civilians."

Finally turning around to face his onetime rival, Sarutobi quirked a grey eyebrow in mild surprise; "Civilians?" he asked, getting a nod in response, "Why where they captured?"

"Inabi felt it was necessary. He wishes to know why they never awakened a Sharingan; despite most of them being pure blooded Uchiha's with fairly large chakra reserves."

The aged kage stayed silent for a moment as he pondered the idea, "You know that's not a half bad idea. If Hiruko can successfully find out the reason why they never awakened a Sharingan, we can take precautions to make sure that once we rebuild the Uchiha clan under our control, it will never happen again."

"My thoughts exactly," said Danzo, "We are currently holding all of the captives at Hiruko's lab until he is ready begin the experiment."

Nodding in understanding, the Sandaime stood up and made a motion for Danzo to follow, "Very well, let's go see how things are going, shall we?" With a quick nod from Danzo, the two men shunshin'd out of the room.

_Konohagakure- Unknown Location_

Hiruko stood over a desk as he continued to read through the files that had been recovered from Orochimaru. _'Well, well, well, I must say Orochimaru, I am quite impressed. Who would have thought that you would become as proficient a scientist as me before I left?' _thought the white clad shinobi with a small chuckle.

"What is it Hiruko-sama?" asked Ni from her place sitting on one of the many operating tables the lab had.

"Oh, it's nothing Ni-chan; I'm merely surprised at how thorough Orochimaru was in his notes and research. Some of the things in these files are quite extraordinary," he said as he continued to read through the surprisingly complete file. "Despite not being an Uchiha, his knowledge of the Sharingan and its workings is far beyond that of anyone that was not an Uchiha, possibly even more than some Uchiha's." The last part was said in whisper as his attention was drawn to a particular note. His eyebrows steadily rose as he continued to read, until they couldn't go any higher. _'If this hypothesis is right, then…' _his thoughts trailed off as he felt two very familiar chakra signatures spike slightly before disappearing, a clear sign of a shunshin.

Turning to face the direction he felt the two men approaching, Hiruko was greeted with the sight of the Hokage and Danzo appearing in a swirl of leaves. "Hokage-sama, Danzo-sama, welcome, I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"I apologies about the delay Hiruko, but it seemed the plan to capture and eliminate the Uchiha clan took longer than we anticipated," said the Sandaime as he motioned for everyone present to follow him. It didn't take long for the group of six to make their way through the corridors that housed the lab. Stopping in front of a door made of solid metal, the Sandaime formed a half ram seal with his right hand. Placing his left hand on the door, the Sandaime forced his chakra through the door, causing a large seal matrix to appear on the surface of the door, made of three concentric circles. "Kai!" said the Hokage as the inner most and outer circles spun around clockwise, and the middle circle spun counterclockwise.

The circles stopped spinning abruptly and multiple loud clicks could be heard from the other side of the door. With a loud creak, the large door slowly swung open, revealing a long hallway with cages and cells of all types lining the walls. Each cage had a single light in them, revealing the bruised and battered bodies of many Uchiha adults, as well as scared looking children. The group of six had barely set foot inside of the room when there was a cry of, "Katon: Cry of the Phoenix."

Two flaming birds quickly descended upon the small group of shinobi from above. Reacting before anyone else, Hiruko jumped up and raised his outstretched left hand, revealing the overlapping diamond mark on his palm. "Meiton: Inhaling Maw," mumbled Hiruko as the upper diamond began to glow red. The two phoenix shaped projectiles quickly lost their form as they were absorbed into the diamond mark.

Just as Hiruko was about to counter, the voice of the Sandaime stopped him, "That's enough Hiruko, stand down." Though his expression never wavered, Hiruko was reluctant to follow the command as he had a reputation of never allowing anyone who attacked him to walk away alive. "Inabi, you know that other than yourself, Danzo and I are the only ones who know how to release the seal on the door."

A small chuckle came from the shadows above them before Inabi landed in a crouch in front of them. "Sorry about that Hokage-sama, but you can never be too careful," he said as he stood up and sheathed his katana. He had forgone his normal clan attire, instead choosing to wear something more reminiscent of what the Uchiha clan used to wear before the founding of Konoha. Black pants with white bandages wrapped around the ends along with black shinobi sandals. Though it wasn't visible, a matching black, form-fitting shirt covered his upper body. Over this was a black, high-collared, long sleeve mantle that opened up at the waist to allow easier movement and the Uchiha crest on the back. Around his waist were more white bandages that held his katana in place at his hip.

"True, true," said the Hokage with a wave of his hand as he moved into the room, "So tell me; how did your part of the mission go?"

Inabi frowned at the question as he turned and led the group farther down the long room. "Not as well as I would like to admit, by the time I arrived, Itachi had somehow managed to escape the barrier."

"How did he manage to escape? That barrier was formed around the entire compound, and specifically reinforced at all possible escape routes," said the Hokage, his displeasure at the news evident in his voice.

"I don't know how he managed to escape, but I'm sure those two have the answers you're looking for," said the Uchiha stopping in front of two cages. Inside of the cages were none other than the patriarch and matriarch of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku and Mikoto. They seemed to be the most injured out of all of the captured Uchiha. Fugaku's clothes were torn to the point of barely covering his body, revealing all of the bruises he had received during his fight. His arms and legs were littered with poorly treated stab wounds, a clear indication of how he was brought down. Mikoto wasn't in any better shape; her left leg was twisted at an impossible angle, and her entire right arm was missing. Wounds of all kinds, ranging from gashes to punctures littered most of her body.

"Seems these two didn't want to go peacefully," said Ichi.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less," said Inabi, "Though they are disgraces to the name of Uchiha, they are still from the Uchiha clan."

"Still, because of Itachi's escape we have once again allowed a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan to slip through our fingers," said the Sandaime as his chakra started to spike as his anger grew.

"That is not entirely true," said Inabi with a smirk. Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the smirking Uchiha; his smirk only grew as he closed his eyes and focused more chakra into his eyes. Everyone present could easily feel the increase in chakra, even the barely conscious Fugaku and Mikoto. Opening his eyes, Inabi used his Sharingan to permanently burn the image of the Hokage's and Danzo's faces into his memory. Gone were the three tomoe of his Sharingan, replaced by three hollow circles that were connected to his hollowed out pupil by three thick black lines.

"You have a Mangekyo Sharingan, how?" asked Danzo.

Inabi chuckled slightly, "You can thank Tekka and Yashiro for that."

"You bastard," grunted Fugaku as he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, "How could you betray them like that? You sell out your own clan, your family, all for what, power?"

"No," said Inabi turning to glare at his former captain and clan head, "I did all this for the sake of the clan."

"What clan?" asked Mikoto, "Because of you, the Uchiha clan is as good as extinct!"

"You're wrong, the Uchiha clan died when they foolishly chose to follow a Senju over Madara-sama. I am his reincarnation; through me the Uchiha clan shall regain its lost honor and claim our rightful place as the most powerful clan in existence!" Turning towards Hiruko, he continued in a growl, "Hiruko, make sure those two are the first one to be experimented on, and when you're finished, make sure they die a slow, painful death."

Hiruko nodded slightly in agreement, "Very well, they will most likely not survive my examination anyway, given their current state."

"So be it, just make sure they suffer," said Inabi before he spun on his heel and left. _'I have wasted enough time; the window of time before use of the Mangekyo begins to eat away my sight is small. I must find out as much as possible about the abilities of my eyes before that happens.'_

"Well then," started the Sandaime as he motioned for everyone to follow, "We will leave you to get started Hiruko, let us know if there are any new developments you discover."

"Of course Hokage-sama," said Hiruko with a nod of his head. The Hokage and Danzo nodded as well before both of them shunshin'd out of the room. "Ichi-kun, Ni-chan, San-kun, prepare those two for the examination, I wish to get start as soon as possible."

"Hai, Hiruko-sama," said the three together before they headed back towards the two trapped Uchiha.

_With the Hokage and Danzo- Unknown Location_

The two veteran shinobi silently appeared in a darkened room, the only source of light being six candles that were arranged in a circle around a stone table. On the table lay the unconscious form of Sasuke Uchiha, his limbs bound to the table by chains. "Let's begin Danzo," said Sarutobi as he stepped around the table and faced the bandaged Elder.

Nodding in understanding, Danzo took out a brush from his robe and dipped it into a small basin that was cut into the table. Though it was difficult to tell in the dim lighting, the two men knew that the liquid inside of the basin was blood, the blood of an infant. Raising the brush, Danzo proceeded to draw a complex seal on Sasuke's chest with practiced ease.

Once he finished, he returned the brush to his robe before forming a half ram seal with his now free left hand. Across from him, the Hokage began to run through a long chain of seals before his hands stopped on the tiger seal. The seal began to glow a dim red as the two men began to chant under their breath. Almost as if hearing their mumbled words, the symbols covering Sasuke's body slowly began moving up his body before the multitude of symbols formed into a single seal on the unconscious boy's forehead.

As the new seal finally settled into place, the two men continued to chant for a few moments before one last phrase passed through their lips, "Curse of the Tortured Soul: Complete."

Almost instantly, Sasuke's eyes shot open as his body arched against the restraints holding him down. A scream so bloodcurdling that even the most hardened of shinobi would bow their heads in prayer escaped the young Uchiha's mouth as the seal of his forehead finally settled into position. Inside of his mind, Sasuke was forced to watch over and over as an implanted memory played out in his mind's eye.

_Takigakure no Sato- Waterfall Entrance_

Completely unaware of the drastic changes taking place in their former home, the Sannin and Shizune were going over the best way to infiltrate the village that housed the Nanabi jinchuuriki. "You know, I always wanted to test my skills in filtration against Takigakure," said Jiraiya with fond smirk.

"Well you're about to get your chance," said Orochimaru, "Now how about a little less reminiscing, and a little more planning." Jiraiya turned and gave his brother one of his infamous smirks before turning back to looking at the waterfall that guarded Takigakure.

"Oh no," mumbled Tsunade, "Please tell me you aren't planning a stunt like the one back at Orochimaru's hideout?" This caused Orochimaru's and Shizune's eyes to widen slightly before whirling around to stare at the white haired Sannin.

"Please tell me that is not what has you smirking, Jiraiya," said Orochimaru almost pleadingly. He wasn't concerned about a possible fight between them and the ninja of Takigakure. Between himself, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune, they wouldn't have much of a problem taking over the entire village if they wanted to.

Jiraiya just waved his hand dismissively as he continued to watch the waterfall, "Relax, I don't plan on blowing something up this time, that was just the simplest way to get Orochimaru's attention. This time, I've taken a much more subtle approach." Before his three companions had a chance to ask, the Toad Sage pointed towards the edge of the lake that the waterfall fed. "He was faster than I thought he would be," he mumbled as he jumped down from his place of the tree branch.

Just as his three comrades were about to jump down as well, a small toad head broke the surface of the lake. "You've got to be kidding me," mumbled Tsunade with a shake of her head, "How does that baka always seems to be one step ahead of all of us?"

"Believe me Tsunade, I wish I knew," said Orochimaru with a sigh as they watched Jiraiya write a few things on a scroll before the small toad dispelled in a cloud of smoke.

Jumping back up to the tree branch, Jiraiya placed the scroll on the branch so everyone could see. "Well it looks like their pride at having never been invaded has made them arrogant. They don't even have a single guard at the entrance to the village, but I must admit the natural defenses around the entrance pretty much make up for the lack of security."

"How is that Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune.

"The only entrance to the village isn't even near this location," he said getting surprised looks from his team mates. "Truth is the only way to access the village is for one to swim through a hidden, underground stream that continues for about two hundred yards and connects to a secluded lake at the base of a large tree that hides the village in the surrounding forests."

"Wait, we have to swim two hundred yards in an underground stream? No human should be able to do that, unless they have a specific jutsu that helps them to breathe for that period of time." Jiraiya and Orochimaru nodded in agreement with Tsunade's assessment, but it was Shizune who posed the big question.

"Then how are we supposed to get inside the village sense none of us know the jutsu they use?"

"Like this," biting his thumb, Jiraiya ran through the necessary hand signs before placing his hand on the tree branch, "Summoning Jutsu." In a poof of smoke, a small, dull green colored toad appeared on the branch. "Hey Gamaumi, think you can carry four?"

The toad looked up at Jiraiya before looking around at everyone else on the branch, "Sure, no problem, where are we heading?"

"A small underground stream at the bottom of a small pond behind the waterfall," said Jiraiya before forming the ram sign, with Gamaumi copying him.

Before the two could do anything else, an irritated Tsunade spoke up, "Ok Jiraiya, you have about five seconds to explain what you're planning before I start pummeling you into the ground."

"Whoa there Tsu-hime, I'm just getting us inside the village," said a freighted Jiraiya, though his concentration never wavered as he continued to prepare his jutsu.

"How exactly; and why did you ask this small toad if he could carry four?" asked Orochimaru, although he had slight idea of what his brother might be planning. _'If I'm right about this, Tsunade is not going to be happy.'_

"Because he is going to have to carry all of us inside of him, with a little something I like to call, Hiding in a Toad Jutsu." As soon as he said this, Gamaumi jumped up slightly before his mouth enlarged and he proceeded to swallow Shizune.

"What the hell Jiraiya? What did he just do to Shizune?" shouted Tsunade, only to be swallowed as well before she got an answer. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya, but made no move to try and avoid the small toad that was turning towards him.

"You know Tsunade is going to kill you, right?"

"Yeah, but I've survived her beatings before," said Jiraiya dismissively as Gamaumi swallowed Orochimaru before turning to him and swallowing him as well.

His cargo safely stored inside his stomach, the dull green toad hoped towards the lake before diving in and swimming under the raging waterfall. Once he was behind the waterfall, he poked his head out of the water and looked around before climbing out and hoping over to the only visible pond inside the cavern. Before he jumped into the pond, he felt something inside his stomach do a flip. "Ugh, man if they keep that I'll throw all of them up before we reach the village. Better make this trip a fast one," he mumbled before diving into the pond and quickly making his way to the tunnel at the bottom.

It didn't take long for the small Diver Toad to traverse the length of the underground stream. Raising to the surface of the lake he found himself in, he took a moment to examine his surroundings for any possible threat to the people residing in his barrier lined stomach. _'Looks like the coast is clear,' _thought the small toad before he channeled chakra to his feet and stood on the water's surface. Hoping along the water, he hid in the shadow being cast by one of the large roots that supported the giant tree that shielded Takigakure from above. Opening his mouth, a hand shot out, quickly followed by the rest of Jiraiya.

"Nice work Gamaumi, now to get the rest of them out." Both toad and summoner formed the ram seal once again before Gamaumi's mouth expanded to impossible lengths. The first to exit the toad was Orochimaru, who didn't seem fazed in the slightest about what had happened. _'He's probably used to it with the number of snake based jutsu he uses,' _thought the Toad Sage as he watched Tsunade exit the toad's stomach. Unlike himself and Orochimaru, Tsunade didn't have many jutsu that revolved around the use of her slugs, so when she leveled a murderous glare that would have had the Shinigami trembling in fear, he wasn't too surprised. Shizune followed shortly after her master, though unlike Tsunade, Shizune appeared to be more disturbed and disgusted than angry.

"Jiraiya if you do that again, I swear I'll…" started Tsunade, only to be interrupted by the very Toad Sage she was threatening.

"Save it for later Tsunade, right now we need to focus on our mission," said Jiraiya in a tone that neither of his fellow Sannin had heard since the Second Shinobi World War. Knowing from firsthand experience not to go against Jiraiya when he was like this, Orochimaru and Tsunade set everything else aside and focused on completing their current task. "Alright, first things first, we need information of the Nanabi jinchuuriki. All I know about them at the moment is that their seal is suppressing the Nanabi's chakra, preventing the jinchuuriki from communing with Choumei properly."

"Choumei?" questioned Shizune with her head tilted to the side in confusion. Tsunade and Orochimaru were wondering the same thing, though they hid it better.

Jiraiya nodded, "Yes, Choumei, that's the Nanabi no Kabutomushi's real name," he said, surprising his current team mates somewhat. Turning to his brother in all but blood, he continued, "Orochimaru, you gather as much information about the jinchuuriki as you possibly can, focus on getting a description if at all possible." Said Snake Sannin nodded in understanding before clapping his hands together in focus.

"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes: Scatter," as soon as the mumbled words passed his lips, Orochimaru's once pale white skin slowly began to darken as his body began to lose its human form, slowly being replaced by countless snakes. Once the, to any civilian, disturbing transformation was complete, all of the snakes slithered away towards the village.

"Alright, while Orochimaru's getting information about the jinchuuriki, I'm going to infiltrate Taki's command center and see what secrets I can find," said Jiraiya as he formed a single ram seal, before he faded out of sight.

"What should we do Tsunade-sama?" asked Shizune as she turned to her master once they were alone.

Sighing softly, Tsunade sat back against the root they were hiding under, "Nothing right now. Though I loath to admit it, neither of us have any skills that could help when it comes to gathering information; we'll have to wait until Jiraiya and Orochimaru return before we can do anything." Shizune nodded in understanding as she moved to sit beside her master and await the return of the other two Sannin.

_Time skip- One hour_

The two medics hadn't moved from their position hidden in the shadow of Takigakure's massive tree. For the past hour they had taken turns keeping watch with their hard earned sensor abilities, making sure that they would not be spotted by any passing Taki shinobi. Just as she was about to let Tsunade take over for her, Shizune sensed two massive chakra signatures heading directly for them. "Tsunade-sama, it appears Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sama are finished, they're on their way back."

Tsunade perked up at her apprentice's words, relieved that they could finally get this mission over with so she could finally get to see her godson. With a quick pulse of chakra to confirm that it was indeed her two team mates approaching, the Slug Princess let out an exasperated sigh. "It's about damn time; I thought those two were supposed to be the best when it came to gathering information. What the hell took them so long?" the last part was mumbled more to herself, but Shizune still heard it. Sweat dropping at her masters lack of patience Shizune chuckled nervously, silently praying Tsunade didn't do anything to brutal to her fellow Sannin.

The two kunoichi didn't have to wait long as a large number of snakes began slithering towards them, merging together to reveal the pale visage of Orochimaru kneeling beside them. "What did you find out Orochimaru?" asked Tsunade, her eagerness to finish the mission quickly easily discernible in her voice.

Orochimaru smirked slightly at the tone in his adoptive sisters voice, "A little eager there, eh Tsunade? Or were you just that bored?" Tsunade glare at her pale brother but before she had a chance to make a comeback, a disembodied voice cut her off.

"Oh leave her alone Orochi-teme, you know she only wants to see Naruto as soon as possible." The three turned towards the voice and watched as Jiraiya appeared from thin air, "After all she has nine years that were stolen from her to make up for."

Orochimaru chuckled at his brothers rarely seen caring attitude, "I never thought I would live to see the day that you of all people would tell someone else to quit teasing a person."

"Anyway," said the Toad Sage, "I managed to find out the identity of Choumei's jinchuuriki. Apparently it's a young girl named Fuu; unfortunately I couldn't get a description of what she looks like or where she lives."

"Then I guess it is good thing that I did," said Orochimaru as all four of them immediately turned serious, "The people of this village don't even allow her to live among them. So the leader of Taki had her placed at the top of this very tree, with orders to never leave unless she was brought down by him personally." Orochimaru finished with a scowl on his face, an expression mirrored on the faces of his companions.

"Those bastards," grunted Tsunade through her teeth, "They refuse to even grant her a proper home and shelter? I swear if I ever get my hands on the bastard that did this I'll tear him apart cell by cell." It was fairly easy to tell that everyone else shared her desire to make the person pay, but unfortunately Orochimaru wasn't quite finished.

"While I wouldn't mind assisting you in that endeavor sis, circumstances prevent us from doing so." At Tsunade's glare, Orochimaru quickly explained, "It seems that the former leader of Taki, the one who ordered this situation, is already dead. It seems he died after he drank the Hero's Water that Taki treasures so much to protect the village from a small scale invasion about three years ago."

Deciding to intervene before Tsunade got too lost in her anger, Jiraiya brought everyone's focus back to the task at hand. "Personal thoughts of vengeance aside, we need to determine how we're going to handle the situation with Fuu."

"What do you mean Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune, not quite seeing the complexity of the task at hand, "Considering what Orochimaru-sama said, wouldn't Fuu be relieved to leave this place once we explain ourselves to her?"

Having gotten her anger back under control, Tsunade answered her apprentice, "In most cases that would be true, but this situation is a little different. First of all, it's not likely that Fuu has had much human contact, and any she has had will no doubt have been negative. Because of that she probably doesn't trust anyone easily, let alone four strangers wanting to take her away from the only place she has ever known. It'd also be safe to assume that, given the orders she was given, she hasn't even scene a human up close for at least three years."

"Exactly," said Jiraiya, "That's why I believe it would be best if you handled this part alone Tsu-hime. Out of all of us, you have the best understanding of how the human psyche works and would be able to calm the girl, should anything happen. Besides, let's face it, Orochimaru and I aren't exactly that great at dealing with children, it still surprises me that Naruto has turned out like he has after a year of being alone with me. Now you on the other hand…" Jiraiya trailed off as Tsunade sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll go talk to Fuu and see what I can do," said the Slug Princess before jumping up and landing on the trunk of the massive tree. Making sure she couldn't be seen from the village, the blonde Sannin ran up the trunk and disappeared into the immense canopy above; landing on a large branch shadowed by the countless leaves that hid the tree's surprisingly open and spacious canopy. Looking around the scarcely lit and unfortunately empty branches that surrounded her, Tsunade's eyes narrowed in disappointment. A flash of green and white in her peripheral vision stopped the blonde woman from jumping onto a higher branch. Running along the branch in the direction she had seen the brief flash of movement, Tsunade jumped onto a neighboring branch only to spin out of the way as two kunai sailed past her.

Spotting another flash of white near the large trunk and dodging another kunai, Tsunade attempted to calm her assailant. "It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you, I only want to talk," she said, raising her hands in a placating manner, showing she didn't wish to harm the obviously startled girl. An uneasy silence was the only answer she received, _'Not good, I know I can easily defeat her, but we need her to trust us, not think we're trying to kill her.'_

Fortunately, luck seemed to be on her side for once as a timid voice echoed throughout the canopy, "W-wh-who are you? Wh-what a-are you d-doing here?" A gentle smile made its way across her face, knowing that the young girl was close enough to see her and was using the numerous branches to help hide her location.

"My name is Tsunade Senju, I came to talk to you," said Tsunade in the most soothing voice she could muster. _'For someone so young, her skills in stealth are exceptionally high,' _she thought as her brown eyes glanced in the direction she felt the girl's chakra signature.

"Tsu-Tsunade S-Senju? You're not from Takigakure, I've never seen you before." The blonde Sannin silently cursed as she heard the growing suspicion in the timid voice. "How did you get into the village, it's impossible for outsiders to get in?"

"Nothing is impossible in this world of ours," her statement was met with a small grunt of acknowledgement. A prolonged silence enveloped the tree canopy, both occupants lost in their thoughts. Tsunade was trying to figure out the best way to broach the true reason for why she was in the village. She considered her apprentices idea of being direct and just telling the girl outright, but even she knew that that would most likely end in disaster. No, she knew the only way she could convince Fuu to accept their offer was to manipulate the girl into believing that going with them was the best thing for her, even if the thought of manipulating a child like that made her stomach twist. _'It's a necessary evil,' _she thought in an attempt to console her inner feelings.

From her place hidden on a branch about thirty yards above the one Tsunade was standing on, Fuu was trying to figure out why the blond kunoichi was in her tree. The mint haired girl had developed a skill to sense the animosity of others early in life, a skill that had saved her life on more than one occasion whenever she was brought down to train in using her bijuu's chakra. She may have only been three at the time she was made into a jinchuuriki, but the people of Taki weren't exactly secretive with their hatred of her tenant, and by extension herself. Her sense's had never been wrong before, but now she was starting to question them as she continued to watch Tsunade. She couldn't feel any animosity coming from the woman; in fact the only thing she could sense from her was a desire to help. _'But help who?' _the Nanabi jinchuuriki thought before another possibility made its way into her thoughts; _'She couldn't possibly want to help me…could she?'_

The young jinchuuriki was broken from her confusing and slightly hopeful thoughts by Tsunade. "Well now that you know my name, can you tell me yours?"

Fuu stayed silent for another few minutes, debating whether or not if it was a good idea to answer that question. Finally, the young girl decided to trust her senses as they once again told her Tsunade meant her no harm. "It's Fuu," said the mint haired girl without stuttering, bringing a smile to the blonde Sannin's face.

'_Good, at least she's not as scare or nervous as before.' _"Well Fuu if it's alright with you, do you think you could come out so we can talk in person?" A tense silence spread over the canopy and Tsunade immediately knew she had asked the wrong thing. "It's alright if you don't want to Fuu, I'll understand. But if you do, I swear on my honor as a kunoichi that I won't move from this spot or attempt to attack you, ok?" she said, hoping she didn't startle the girl too badly. To her immense shock and complete relief, a small girl, no older than nine or ten, landed some ways away from her. _'Well at least she trusts me enough to speak to me in person,' _thought Tsunade as she took in Fuu's appearance.

Unlike what she had expected, Fuu seemed to be in good health despite her village's hatred of her. The young girl had a slim figure with small traces of lean muscle already developing along her body. Her mint green hair contrasted with and helped to bring out the striking color of her vibrant orange eyes. Her hair was held back on the right side by an orange clip that matched her eyes perfectly. She had a short, sleeveless white midriff shirt on; Tsunade also noticed that she had some mesh armor underneath that left her stomach visible for all to see. She also had on a mesh, fishnet shorts with a short white apron skirt over it that ended just past mid-thigh and was slit on both sides to allow better movement. Despite her young appearance, she had a black clothed headband with the Takigakure symbol carved into the metal plate tied around her right arm. White seemed to be a favorite color of hers as she also had on two white armlets, the one on her right starting at her headband and ended at her wrist. What caught Tsunade's attention though was the large, cylindrical object that the young girl had attached to her back. The object was wrapped in a red cloth with two pieces crossed over her chest, holding the object in place. Normally that wouldn't have caught her attention, having seen many a shinobi carry something similar on their backs. What surprised her was that it was nearly the same size as the young kunoichi in training and she seemed to be lugging it around with relative ease.

While Tsunade had been busy taking in the girl's appearance, using her expertise in human anatomy to search for any form of injury on the girl, both external and internal, Fuu had been watching her from the opposite side of the branch. It had shocked the young girl to her core when, true to her word, Tsunade hadn't moved or attempted to attack her. This caused the small amount of hope that had welled up inside of her that Tsunade might actually be there to help her to grow. Despite the intense look in Tsunade's eyes as she continued to look her over, Fuu instinctively knew that she could trust the blonde Sannin, almost as if something deep inside of her was telling her this woman was a friend to her.

Unknown to the two kunoichi however, something inside of Fuu was indeed telling her to trust Tsunade. Locked within the dense forest that was Fuu's mind, a loud, demonic buzzing could be heard echoing off of the large trees. Beneath the buzzing however, something was being said; a voice trying as hard as it possibly could to be heard by anyone on the outside. "Come on Fuu, listen to me, you have to go with this woman, she can help get us out of this village." This was the voice of Choumei, the voice of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi. From his place sealed within Fuu, Choumei had watched as the situation progressed, trying in vain to break through the seal that held him so he could speak with his jinchuuriki. Sadly the seal that held him prisoner inside of Fuu was given to Taki by Hashirama Senju himself at the same time he had given Choumei to the village. Every time he attempted to send out his consciousness to contact Fuu, the trees would rebuff him and absorb any of his excess chakra. Unable to do anything because of the seal, Choumei had been forced to watch as his host was put through harsh training by the leader of Taki in an attempt to have her master the use of his chakra. _'Fools, they don't even realize that the seal prevents my chakra from interacting with Fuu's,' _to this day the Nanabi still laughed at the foolishness of the people of Taki, never realizing that the seal holding him was meant to suppress his chakra completely. Sighing after another unsuccessful attempt to form a connection with his host, Choumei resigned himself to just watching how things played out, hoping his host would make the right decision.

Back in the real world Tsunade had finished her impromptu physical examination and decided now would be the best time to begin the conversation that would determine how the rest of the mission went. "Well it's nice to officially meet you Fuu, I'm glad you trusted me enough to do this," not surprisingly the young girl didn't respond, it was probably taking all of her courage to stay where she was. Tsunade let a friendly smile spread across her lips, "Why don't you tell me about yourself Fuu, I'd like to get to know you better if I could."

"S-sure," said Fuu, her stutter coming back slightly, "But only if y-you go first."

Having expected a reaction like that, Tsunade smiled again with a small nod, "Alright, well as you know my name is Tsunade Senju, I like healing people when they're injured, and messing with my two teammates. I hate people who hurt others for no reason and beating the crap out of those who do." Despite herself, Fuu couldn't stop the small smirk that spread across her features at that last part.

"Wait, did you say you like healing people?" the mint haired girl asked, getting a nod of confirmation, "Then…does that mean you're a medical ninja?"

Raising an eyebrow at the small trace of excitement in the girl's voice, Tsunade gave another affirmative nod, "Yes, I am. I take it you're interested in becoming in becoming a medic?"

Fuu nodded vigorously, causing the Slug Sannin to chuckle softly, "Yes, I've wanted to be one ever since I was young." Neither kunoichi realized that Fuu's stutter had all but vanished as the Taki jinchuuriki unknowingly relaxed in Tsunade's presence, although a certain beetle did and he couldn't have been happier about it.

"Would you like me to teach you how to become a medic?" Tsunade had to fight to keep her own excitement out of her voice, if the girl wanted her to teach her than it would be easier to convince her to leave. The even more vigorous nod than before nearly had the Sannin leaping for joy, though she managed to stop herself, if only just. "As much as I would love to teach you Fuu, I can't stay here for the time it will take to teach you. The only way I could teach you anything is if you come with me," she finished in a slightly hopeful tone, inwardly praying the young girl agreed to go with her.

Fuu stood frozen as her mind tried to grasp the idea that Tsunade was not only willing to teach her to become a medic, something she always wanted, but was offering her the chance to finally leave Taki, hopefully never to return. Though she was only nine years old, she was already listed as an active Taki kunoichi, she understood what leaving the village meant; a life on the run, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being hunted down, and if she were honest with herself, she didn't care one bit! The people of Takigakure already viewed her as the lowest form of scum possible, their hatred of her only being topped by their hatred of Kakuzu of the Five Hearts, the worst traitor Taki had ever seen. If she left, the only thing that would change would be how much the village hated her, and again she couldn't have cared less about their opinions. No, the only thing that mattered to her was that she finally had an opportunity to leave the isolated hell that had been her life ever since that fateful day. Her mind made up, the mint haired girl locked eyes with Tsunade, vibrant orange meeting hopeful brown, and gave a resolute nod.

A large smile took over Tsunade's genjutsu covered face as she slowly walked over to stand in front of Fuu, still trying not to startle the girl. For some reason a sense of pride welled up within the blonde kunoichi when Fuu didn't even flinch as she approached. Putting that thought out of her mind for the time being, she knelt down so she was eye level with the young kunoichi in training, "Alright all we have to do now is get out of the village undetected. But in order to do that we'll need the help of my teammates is that ok? I don't want to put you into an uncomfortable situation?"

Fuu stiffened momentarily, all of the suspicion and fear she felt about people coming back to the forefront. Tsunade's comforting arm wrapping around her shoulders helped to calm her as she once again relaxed in the blonde woman's presence. "Don't worry Fuu, I promise they won't try to attack you or hurt you in anyway, and if they do I'll beat them to within an inch of their lives." A small giggle escaped the young girl as she smiled weakly at the older kunoichi, still not used to the feeling of someone caring for her. "Now let's get you out of here," with a nod of agreement the two kunoichi began their descent to the base of the tree.

Jiraiya's breathing was even and controlled as he continued to meditate, awaiting Tsunade's return. To his left, Shizune was reading through a scroll on medical ninjutsu, occasionally making a note or two with a small pencil. Off to the side of the two, Orochimaru was reading through the latest copy of the bingo book. _'Probably looking for some suitable criminals to experiment on,' _thought Jiraiya before focusing back on his meditation.

Things continued in the same manner for the three rogue ninja until the meditating Sage felt Tsunade's chakra signature coming back down the tree, accompanied by another signature. _'Good, she did it,' _thought Jiraiya as he released the small amount of Senjutsu chakra he had formed from the natural energy around him and ended his meditation. "Tsunade accomplished the mission, she and Fuu are coming down," said the white haired Sannin, standing up from his seated position.

Orochimaru closed his book with a soft snap as he stretched out slightly, "You say that as if you weren't expecting her to be able to do it." Jiraiya scowled at his brother's smirk a comeback on the top of his tongue, but the arrival of Tsunade and Fuu stopped him short. As the three turned towards Tsunade they noticed the young dark-skinned girl at her side. Fuu was suddenly overcome with nerves as the three people, who she assumed were Tsunade's teammates, focused all of their attention on her. She tried to hide behind Tsunade but the blonde woman stepped away and placed a comforting arm around her, leveling a glare at her three companions.

The blonde woman's glare turned into a smirk when she saw all of them flinch slightly, "Everyone, this is Fuu. Fuu, this is my other apprentice Shizune," said medic smiled at her sister apprentice, which was hesitantly returned. "My brother in all but blood Orochimaru," she said indicating the pale man with a wave of her hand. The Snake Sannin gave his trademark snake-like smirk causing the young girl to tilt her head slightly, not at the least bit scared as she didn't feel any animosity coming from the otherwise intimidating man. "Oh and that's my other teammate, Jiraiya-baka," she finished with a bored expression causing the mentioned Toad Sage to face fault, eliciting a giggle from the youngest member of the group. "Well now that introductions are out of the way, what's say we put as much distance between us and this village as possible."

Everyone nodded in agreement before Fuu spoke up for the first time, "Wait, the only way to get out of the village undetected is to use the underwater passage. How are we going to get out if none of us know the jutsu needed to get through it?" A reassuring squeeze from Tsunade stopped the slightly panicked girl before she had a chance to get herself too worked up.

"Fuu, do you remember what I said about nothing being impossible in this world?" at the young girls nod she continued, "Well that holds true in this instance as well; there is always a way around any situation. Jiraiya, as much as I hated the experience, we'll have to use your Hiding in a Toad Jutsu to get through the passage again."

Jiraiya nodded and bit his thumb, muttering something about 'unappreciative teammates' and 'not giving credit where it's due' as he formed the seals for the Sannin's signature jutsu. "Summoning Jutsu," in a poof of smoke the dull green toad that was Gamaumi sat before the group of five, "Hey Gamaumi, you up for another go around with one extra passenger?"

"No problem Jiraiya, though if you could keep the flips to a minimum this time," said the toad as both he and Jiraiya formed the ram seal.

Fuu couldn't contain her curiosity as she watched the toad and its summoner, "What are they doing, and what did you mean by Hiding in a Toad Jutsu, Tsunade-sensei?"

Tsunade smiled at once again being called sensei. She never noticed before but she enjoyed being referred to as a sensei, and she had honestly missed being called 'Tsunade-sensei' ever since Shizune starting referring to her as 'Tsunade-sama.' "It'd be better if I told you after it's over," said Tsunade, right before the enlarged mouth of Gamaumi swallowed the two of them whole.

_Land of Woods- A few hours later_

"That was by far, the weirdest, most disturbing thing that has ever happened to me!" groused the mint haired girl for what felt like the hundredth time. Ever since the group had escaped from Taki with the help of Gamaumi, the young girl had been very vocal in her displeasure of the sensation of being swallowed alive. "I swear if I never have to do that again, it'll be too damn soon."

Jiraiya was glaring off into the distance, once again muttering about 'unappreciative kunoichi's.' Orochimaru smirked as he watched his brother continue to sulk, "It would appear that being swallowed by a toad has helped Fuu get over her fears." Beside him Tsunade nodded in agreement as she watched her new apprentice continue to rant and rave while Shizune attempted to calm her down. "I suppose it was for the best that she became your apprentice Tsunade, she wouldn't have enjoyed being mine of Jiraiya's with all of the jutsu we have that revolves around our summons."

"I suppose you're right Orochimaru," Tsunade smirked as she decided to pick on her teammates, "Or it could be that she just doesn't like you two. I mean she probably thought that she would wind up as pale as you if you trained her, or that she might've grown warts training with Jiraiya." This had the desired effect of breaking Jiraiya out of his funk and getting a scowl from the two men. However, before either of the two Sannin had a chance to rebuke the blonde woman for her comments they were suddenly surrounded by a large group of animals, varying between lions, tigers, wolves and foxes. "What the hell? Since when do all of these animals live amongst one another?"

"They don't," said a voice that seemed to come from every direction at once, "Now identify yourselves; what business do you have here?"

"Knock it off gaki, it's me Jiraiya," said the Toad Sage, surprising his four companions.

"How do I know you're the real Jiraiya and not some imposter?" asked the voice.

"Gaki, you have about three seconds to cut the bull crap before I come in there and beat the living shit out of you!"

A pregnant pause followed the Sage's outburst with his four companions looking at him as if he had lost his mind. "Yep, that's definitely Jiraiya-sensei," said the voice before the animals surrounding the five rogue ninja disappeared in a large cloud of smoke. Two shadows appeared in the dissipating smoke as they approached the small group. When the smoke finally cleared, everyone, with the exception of Jiraiya, were surprised to see two boys that looked to be the same age as Fuu. "Hey sensei, sorry about that but we felt the perimeter seals activate and reacted like you taught us too."

"That's fine Naruto, but didn't you consider using your Rinnegan to check our chakra?" The sheepish grin on the blonde's face and Gaara's deadpan expression made it rather obvious that that idea had been discussed but ignored for whatever reason. Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head, "Next time try using your common sense gaki, or better yet just listen to your comrades."

"Who do you have with you Jiraiya-sama?" asked Gaara as he observed the other four members of Jiraiya's party. His gaze lingered a little longer on Fuu than it did the others and Gaara felt his heart flutter slightly. _'What the hell was that?' _he thought in confusion while Shukaku was grinning like a maniac inside of him. _**'Oh, now this should be entertaining,' **_thought the Ichibi as he thought of all of the ways he could tease his jinchuuriki.

"The pale faced snake faggot is Orochimaru, the hot blonde is Tsunade Senju, the brunette is her apprentice Shizune and the mint haired shorty is Fuu, Choumei's jinchuuriki." Two sets of eyes locked with the vibrant orange of Fuu's as Naruto and Gaara focused all of their attention on their fellow jinchuuriki. Ignoring the fact that he had lost the attention of the two boys, Jiraiya turned to his fellow Sannin and two companions, "Everyone, the redhead is Gaara, the jinchuuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku and the blonde gaki is Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Fuu's eyes widened in shock as she stared into the sapphire blue and sea foam green eyes of her fellow jinchuuriki. When Jiraiya had introduced her and told the two boys that she was a jinchuuriki she feared that they would shun her like everyone else her age in Taki. The two sets of eyes meeting her own only cause that feeling to grow until she noticed the emotions in their eyes; they were filled with a mixture of wonder, joy, excitement and most of all, a welcoming acceptance. The emotions being expressed by the two pairs of eyes almost brought a tear to her eye, though she was still slightly confused as to why they appeared to have accepted her so easily and quickly. Everything fell into place for the orange eyed jinchuuriki when Jiraiya introduced the two boys. This news did bring a tear to her eye; if what Jiraiya said was true than it meant that she wasn't alone in this world, that there were others out there that would understand her and, hopefully, understand the pain she had gone through.

When Jiraiya finished introducing the twos boys Tsunade's desperate eyes sought to memorize everything she could of her blonde godson. Though he was clad in a simple outfit with a pair of baggy black pants, a skin tight sleeveless black shirt and black sandals, she could already see the traits that he shared with his parents. His father's sun kissed blonde hair, piercing blue eyes that looked like they could see into your very soul; the boy's entire being seemed to be a carbon copy of Minato's. Despite the almost overwhelming similarities between father and son, it was easy, for those who knew, to see the things that he had inherited from his mother. His eyes, though they looked like his father's, were just as expressive as his mother's. When she was alive, all Kushina had to do was look into someone's eyes and they could almost feel the emotions coming from the fiery redhead. Naruto also had his mother's warm, welcoming presence that could make almost anyone drop their guard around him, but the blonde woman knew that that presence could change to that cold, untrusting aura all ninja have in the blink of an eye. That a child could look so much like one parent, and yet have the same spirit as the other was almost startling to the experienced medic, almost.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru smirked as they watched the four people stare at one another while Shizune smiled at seeing her master finally meeting her godson. "Well, as much fun as standing around staring at one another is, I think it would be best that we get back to the hideout and plan our next move," said Jiraiya, receiving five nods of understanding and one glare, courtesy of Tsunade.

"Jiraiya-sensei's right," said Naruto as he turned and started leading the group further into the forest, "We need to figure out where the remaining jinchuuriki are and plan how to get them to join us as soon as possible."

"No Naruto," said Jiraiya, "While it is true that we need to gather information on the other jinchuuriki, we also need to lay low for a while." Naruto didn't like that idea and it was obvious for everyone else to see as he turned and glared at his master over his shoulder. "I know you don't like it Naruto," sighed Jiraiya, "But it is for the best. We have been very active lately and a lot has happened that we need to go over in detail so that we can be prepared for anything that might come of it. We don't have to worry too much about Sunagakure since they believe that Gaara is dead, and I doubt Taki will come looking for Fuu anytime soon. However, mine, Tsunade and Shizune's recent encounter with Konoha's forces could cause some trouble for us if we are not ready for it."

Naruto sighed slightly but nodded nonetheless. He may not like the idea of waiting when they could be searching for the other jinchuuriki, but he understood that if they were caught unprepared it would end in disaster. "Good, than once we're back at the hideout we can start planning our next move."

**There you go, hope you liked it. Like I said in the A/N at the beginning of the chapter I need your help selecting the colors for the cloaks Naruto and the other jinchuuriki will wear.**

**1) A white cloak with dark blue clouds**

**2) A dark blue cloak with white clouds**

**3) A storm gray cloak with golden yellow clouds**

**4) A white cloak with red clouds**

**5) Other**

******I will admit I absolutely suck at matching colors so I am hoping that you all might be able to help me out, hence the reason for choice number 4. You can submit your votes any way you like, whether it be review or PM, just let me know as soon as possible cause the cloaks will probably make an appearance in the next chapter and if not than the one after that.**

******Until next time,**

******BSW**


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